Seam In The City
by OverHerHeels
Summary: AU. "You can't be so naïve, Everdeen. People are going to use you. I guess that's why I'm still here- to protect you from yourself." Katniss has always been a role model; her life riddled with both privilege and purpose. But now, after inheriting the position as Everdeen Athletics CEO, Katniss has to figure out whose intentions are pure... and how much limelight she can take.
1. Security Detail

**Summary:** AU. "You can't be so naïve, Everdeen. People are going to use you. I guess that's why I'm still here- to protect you from yourself." Katniss Everdeen has always been a role model. Her life has been riddled with both privilege and purpose. But now, after her father's untimely passing and inherited position as Everdeen Athletics company CEO, Katniss has to figure out whose intentions with her are pure… and how much of the limelight she can really handle.

_All credit for any characterization and whatnot is given to whom it is due. Please leave some thoughts- this is my first AU._

The board meetings were the worst part- the aspect of the job that I probably hated the most. Standing before the old entrepreneurs wearing their business suits and most disapproving glares, I can feel their eyes boring holes into my back when I turn to face the financial projections for next quarter. I know they call me an imposter –a phony- whenever they get the chance. And the worst part is: they're completely right.

I don't have a degree in business, like the Harvard and Yale educated elites my father made sure to put in place for an event such as this; people who _actually _knew what they were doing when they stepped into a conference room. This definitely wasn't the path that I had chosen for myself ten years ago. But then again, I guess no one really lives the life they had planned when they were 15. Dreams change, and most importantly, circumstances change.

"Madge will be sending out official reports tomorrow. We're projecting double-digit increases next quarter due to the new line. Thank you all for coming. See you next week." I feigned a smile before offering a brief wave and exiting the room, my mousy assistant, Madge shuffling behind me.

"I think that was your best meeting yet, Ms. Everdeen, very professional, very organized." She barely spoke audibly enough to be identified over the sound of the office musings. We walked quickly down the hallway, slowing only to give instruction to a number of employees along the way. One thing I had learned early on; this position left little room for error.

"Madge, I don't know how many times I have to tell you, you can call me Katniss. We're the same age for crying out loud." My secretary, Delly handed me my stack of messages as I entered the glass foyer of my office-suite; the same office that had once belonged to my father (the rightful owner of this company). I thumbed through the messages, quickly depositing the ones from my mother and ex-boyfriend in the stainless steel garbage can.

Madge stayed put by the door, the area she commonly inhabited. I was pretty sure she was afraid to move anywhere else, actually. "Ms. Everdeen, it's an honor you think of us as equals on some level, truly," I sighed inwardly. There was no changing her mind. She was a sweet girl and very, very good at her job. As one of the colleagues I worked closest with, though, I really wished that she would stop acting like I actually owned the joint. Although, on paper, I guess that's the way it is. "Would you have me to pick you up something for lunch now, ma'am?"

"You're impossible, Madge." I laughed and grabbed my leather jacket, almost too warm to wear in the transitioning spring to summer weather. "And no, I'm going out for lunch. You should too. Please have Delly hold my calls. I'll be back in an hour."

My bodyguard met me downstairs, looking as intimidating as ever, holding open the passenger door to my town car. "You should let me take the wheel today. I've been dying to take this baby for a spin since you bumped up the hemi. I bet this boy can really move now."

He let his booming laugh escape momentarily before motioning for me to get inside. "Catnip, if your dad saw me in the passenger seat with you behind the wheel –on business hours no less- he'd roll over in his grave. Please just get in the car." Gale was always overly protective, which technically fell under his job description as my personal watchdog. And although we'd been best friends for nearly ten years, that position always came first in his eyes.

I got in reluctantly and crossed my arms across my chest. The battle to even sit in the front seat had been hard fought three years ago versus my dad and Gale. Eventually though, with enough begging, they both finally relented, and at 22 I was granted the privilege most got when they were 13. "Hawthorne, you're impossible."

"Everdeen, you're the most stubborn woman I've ever dealt with." He replied, slipping the key into the ignition swiftly and starting the car. It purred to life quietly and lurched off of the prime curb parking spot, directly in front of the building's entrance. One of the perks of owning your own company, I'd accepted, was quality parking privileges. Which were especially useful in a city like New York, where you had to walk just about everywhere. Not that I minded the exercise, however, but outdoors in the city and outdoors back home were just very different experiences.

"Then why do you stick around? You could have gotten one of your underlings to take over a long time ago." I could feel Gale stiffen slightly beside me. It was something I had been asking myself for some time, though. He didn't have to be in the field anymore, especially given his own father's recent retirement announcement, and yet he chose to stick around.

"You know why I haven't left yet, Katniss." He bristled.

"No really, I don't get it. You only joined as an agent because your father was forcing you out of that pesky teenage rebellion phase, and you kind of got me by default. Considering our family history and all," I couldn't help but smile at the memory of meeting uniformed Gale for the first time. His hair had been recently buzzed and his scowl was one that displaced anyone who dared look directly into his eyes. I, on the other hand, welcomed the challenge. He was mad at the world and I was mad at my parents about being babysat by someone barely five years older than me.

We made a great pair.

"Promises were made, Kat. Promises that I don't intend on breaking." It was a simple answer to a rather complex question, but I didn't expect much more from Gale. He was a man of few words.

I let a moment of silence fall between us. "What are you going to do when you have to take over next month?" Thom Hawthorne, founder and CEO of Fortune 500 Company, Capitol Security was retiring in a little over 30 days, and leaving the company to his oldest son. Just knocking at the door of 30, Gale was far from ready to take on the responsibility of running a business of that magnitude- just as I'd been two years ago. Although, at least Gale would be doing something he understood. He'd been groomed to succeed his father for years, but nothing really prepared you for that much responsibility, I'd learned.

"I don't know. Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, huh?" He flashed a weak smile in my direction and pulled into a spot next to our favorite dive joint, Sae's Kitchen. "But don't worry; we won't get Rory to replace me. Lord knows what type of trouble you'd be in then." Gale's little brother, Rory was a goofy little guy, the same age as my sister, Prim. He was as sweet as pie and couldn't squash a bug if his life depended on it. Gale and I figured that was the sibling curse- lack of resilience. But that also may have explained why Rory and Prim made so much sense as a couple. They could save the world, one sick baby and injured pet at a time.

Inside was just as disparate as the outside; a dingy, cramped dump. But it was our dingy, cramped dump. Nestled right in the heart of the business district, Sae's was the hub of all those who dared venture outside of their archetypal comfort zone. The Village hipsters travelled for her delicious (and somewhat organic) specialty soups, even tolerating the presence of downtown yuppies in need of a moment of solace (much like myself). It had always been a personal favorite of mine.

"How's Rory doing by the way? I know Prim is busy with clusters and waiting on med school acceptances, he must be in the same boat." I asked as I pointed behind the counter, ordering the soup of the day. The attendant scooped it out unceremoniously and plopped it into a bowl.

They rang up the both of our meals together, assuming we'd be paying one bill. It happened all of the time. When you spend as much time together as the two of us, people automatically begin to assume that your relationship is more than plutonic. Gale paid quickly and ushered us to a table towards the back. He always did this. Not that I got accosted often, but it was something of an occupational hazard the high-profile position, and something he was always prepared for.

"Getting ready to start grad school at Johns Hopkins in the fall- he's very excited about it. Dad's really proud of him, which is great." He pulled out my chair, making sure I was seated comfortably before he took his own. "Rory always was the ambitious one."

I nodded knowingly. In the time that I had really gotten to know Gale, outside of the familial functions that we'd both been forced to attend as children, I'd begun to understand his fierce devotion to family. I knew that he was proud of his little brother, and that he wanted nothing more than his happiness. But I also knew that the reason Thom Hawthorne was retiring was due to the return of his Biliary Thrombosis and Gale wouldn't allow the family company to fall into the hands of anyone other than himself.

"It's going to be fine, you know. You're going to get through this transition just fine. Your dad wouldn't have given you this responsibility if you couldn't handle it. Thom's too much of a control freak for that." He laughed solemnly. "And he raised you right. I would know. I was there."

"Whatever, Everdeen you were still in diapers when I was growing up!"

"Shut up, I totally remember when you got hives at the Fourth of July barbeque when I was eight!"

"You were practically a baby! How would you remember that kind of thin-" Gale stopped speaking midsentence, rising from his chair immediately. "You think I didn't see that you rat bastard? Give me that camera before I break you and the film in half!" He crossed the floor of the restaurant in a few quick strides, catching up with the suspect in question within a few steps. I turned to see Gale hoisting the guy up by his collar, ripping the offending camera from his neck like a toy, dropping it to the ground and crushing it beneath the toe of his steel-toed boot. He dropped the guy to the ground, only now allowing me a clear view of his face. Aside from the red flush of embarrassment and pure fear, he looked really sweet. And probably could have sold that photo for a solid 500 bucks if he got us at the right angle. The headline would have said 'Beauty and the Bodyguard! New Guy for Everdeen?'. I couldn't say I blamed him for trying.

"Go ahead and get on out of here, kid. I don't wanna have to make your face look like this here Nikon, eh?" The guy nodded his head quickly, blond curls falling into his face as he picked up the leftover pieces of his camera and running out the door. Gale wiped his hands on his pants and returned to the table, suited with a contented look as though he hadn't nearly ripped someone's head off.

"Gale." I started, but was met with his hand and implored to silence.

"It's all in a days' work, Catnip." Everyone in the restaurant that had stopped to stare at the commotion moments before was finally going back to their meals. Regardless of the paparazzo, I knew there would be photos of the ordeal circulating later. My publicist was probably blowing up my office phone right then and there.

"You really embarrassed him, though. And broke his camera. I bet that thing cost a pretty penny."

"Yeah, and I bet that picture of you he was snapping from across the room would have made him a nice amount too. You can't be so naïve, Everdeen. People are going to use you. I guess that's why I'm still here- to protect you from yourself." I wanted to respond, but knew it was no use. This wasn't the first time Gale had busted someone up for getting too close to me or snapping a picture during an intimate moment. It always made me uncomfortable when he retaliated, even more so than having my privacy violated.

"Just because I have a conscious doesn't make me naiive, Gale. This type of thing comes with the territory. And you can't just blow up on everyone who makes you a little antsy." I pushed my empty bowl forward and grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair. "You're a hothead and I you need to take me back to the office now."

I could see his frustration building again. "It is my job, Ms. Everdeen, and I actually do it quite well. And I will gladly deposit you back at your office." We left Sae's and returned to the office without one word being shared between the two of us all 50 blocks. He always managed to do this to me, reduce me to the pre-pubescent silent treatment. Another thing I could always count on in our explosive relationship.

He parked the car along the curb and came to the passenger door to let me out.

"Ms. Everdeen." He commented coolly as I turned on my heel to head inside.

"Yes, Mr. Hawthorne?" Two could play this game.

"I'll have my replacement here to pick you up this evening and escort you home. I will arrange the details with Delia and have them here by 5." I bristled at his cold tone. While we'd been in brief spats about his management style before, he'd never gone so far as to remove himself from my detail. It felt a bit excessive, and quite frankly, hurtful. I wasn't going to allow him the satisfaction of my disdain, however. I turned back towards the revolving doors, tossing one final comment over my shoulder and the cacophony of New York car horns.

"Make sure you get the car washed first. It's looking a bit dusty."


	2. The Anniversary

Hey everybody, welcome to chapter two of "Seam In The City"! Thank you all for reading thus far, and I hope you enjoy what's to come. There are some new characters in this chapter (some I really like and others not so much), and I hope you get to know them, because they'll be making many more appearances here pretty soon. Anyways, please follow/**REVIEW**/alert, it inspires me to keep writing. Enjoy!

**All credit where credit is due.**

My dad wasn't born rich.

Actually, he wasn't born with much besides his voice and his name. The only two things he said he ever needed. Andrews Everdeen was raised in Seam County, Pennsylvania to a stay at home mother and a father working day and night in the coal mines to make ends meet. Other than survival, there weren't many things that the people of Seam strived for. My dad on the other hand, always knew he wanted to make it out of that small town.

So he worked hard. He went to school during the day, went to football practice in the afternoon and worked in the coal mines at night. It paid off, eventually earning him a full ride athletic scholarship to Penn State. After graduation, he launched right into his business, using his lifetime savings and a small bank loan to begin design and implementation of what would eventually become Everdeen Athletics ©. Now, his small flagship store in Seam, Pennsylvania has turned into the 3rd largest sporting goods company in the world (only behind Nike and Reebok- still ahead of North Face, Under Armour and Champion).

This is the responsibility that I inherited two years ago today.

"Ms. Everdeen, the arts department sent this option for the shoot today. I told them you wanted something more militant, but apparently these yoga pants are the most visual. Should I dial them and let them know that won't do?" Madge gently waved a pair of pants in front of my face. I had allowed myself a moment of distance from the madness surrounding me. Photoshoots were always chaotic and took hours that I never had to spare, but I made sure to be present at every one. It was a principle of my father's, to have his hand in every aspect of production.

"Can't put your name on something you ain't even known about, Little Duck." He'd say in his signature drawl. Of course his higher education had taught him well, but he insisted on staying true to his hometown roots.

"Let me see them in the frame and I'll let you know. Have our model try them on." She shuffled across the room quickly, depositing the pants on the doorknob of the dressing room. I knew that I had sent her on a suicide mission, but it was better her than me delivering the news. I could see her attempting to gently explain the costume change through the doorframe, and shrinking instantaneously at the reaction from the other end.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, BRAINLESS? We had this shoot approved DAYS AGO!" Johanna Mason, our newest spokemodel crossed the linoleum floor, stopping inches from my face to deliver her most recent discontent. "I thought editorial oversight was in my contract! You know I hate this tight sh-"

Johanna was nothing if not painfully honest. And the amount of attitude she insisted on bringing to every event would be absolutely unacceptable coming from anyone else but her. For everything that we shared, though, I would never get rid of her; whether in a business capacity or for the sake of our friendship.

"Calm down, Johanna. I just said to try them on. It's not going to kill you." I rolled my eyes and started towards the stage. The background was pure white and had leaves scattered about the base. I quickly adjusted some misplaced lighting, without breaking my stride. "Jerry could you get a brighter bulb for this, please? It's looking a little dim, and we can't have Jo washed out. Thank you!" I didn't stop my movement before continuing, Johanna still angrily marching behind me. "Why do you insist on being so disagreeable, Johanna? We'd have fired you by now if you were anyone else." I turned to Madge, who had silently rejoined my side. "Madge please tell arts that when I requested cargos, I meant that. No compromises. Thank you."

Madge nodded and did her signature scurry away. "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Everdeen." Jo stopped walking, grabbing my wrist gently and turning me to face her. "You're even more high-strung and tense than usual. Is it today?"

I nodded quickly and busied myself with removing invisible threads from my jacket. She grabbed one of my hands to still it. "It's nothing, alright? It gets easier every year. Now can you please just put on the wardrobe so we can keep this show on schedule?" I forced a quick laugh. "I don't know why I keep you around, Mason."

She gave me a swift punch to the shoulder and offered a rare smile. "Whatever. I'm the best advertising campaign this company has ever seen!" Although her cocky demeanor could be off-putting to some, I had grown used to it. In fact, I believed that it was her driven, no-nonsense attitude that had carved her name into the history books. Johanna was the youngest Olympic Triathlete to ever win a gold medal, breaking the previous record by a solid 4 minutes.

But over time, fame had hardened her, creating the exterior that many knew today. When we met seven years ago, Jo had been a completely different person- still filled with sarcastic and biting wit, mind you, but a different person in her spirit.

Before allowing myself another moment of nostalgia, I channeled my father's commanding voice, finally calling the shoot to order.

The executive floor of our headquarters was nearly empty by the time I prepared to leave. Not that it changed the atmosphere much, anyway. All of the shareholders, board members and vice presidents' offices were housed on this floor, and it was always eerily quiet. Another risk associated with the job.

Even when you're in a room full of people, you're always pretty alone.

"Should I bring the car around, miss?"

"Yeah Ga-, er I mean, sure Thresh. That would be great, thank you." It had been two weeks since I'd spoken to Gale, but still couldn't get used to the idea of being monitored by someone new. Always true to his word, Gale had found a fantastic replacement in Michael Thresh. He was strong, competent, level-headed and respectful- exactly what you'd look for in a bodyguard.

Not exactly what I looked for in a best friend.

It was probably for the best that we severed our personal ties sooner rather than later. Gale was going to need to pour himself into his position as head of Capitol and I couldn't afford any more distractions than I already had. Constantly managing not only a multi-million dollar empire, but my own personal image in the eyes of the media was hard enough without the constant inquiry of our relationship. At least that's what I was telling myself.

I had sent Delly home hours ago, but Madge refused to leave the office until I did. Grabbing my leather jacket, messenger bag and shutting down my Mac, I breezed out the door and into her adjoining office to say goodnight. She was furiously typing away at her computer and didn't even notice when I knocked on her door. "Madge, I'm headed out for the night, okay?" Her head shot up quickly, concern knitting her eyebrows together.

"Okay great, are you alright for dinner? I could make you a reservation somewhere or…" She trailed off, her eyes glued to something behind my head. "Good evening, Mr. Hawthorne." I turned around, my gaze met by Gale's steely green eyes. He looked well. Only two weeks had gone by, but I felt as though something momentous may have occurred in our time apart. A Mike Tyson face tattoo perhaps? A Mohawk, maybe? "If that's all, I'll just be on my way then. Good evening Ms. Everdeen, Mr. Hawthorne." She breezed past the two of us, eyes directed anywhere but at the scene at hand.

"What are you doing here, Gale? You quit, remember?" I pulled on my jacket and rushed past him, making a beeline for the elevators. I could hear his heavy footsteps pounding behind me.

"Katniss, please… I wasn't going to let our little fight keep me from being with you today. I know how hard it must be." He reached out to touch the small of my back comfortingly- move that had it been done any day but today would have worked for me. Today it just filled me with rage.

"Don't bother, Gale. I can get through this just fine without you, thanks. I'm actually late for something right now, so if you wouldn't mind leaving me to it that would be great." I racked my brain for any number of excuses that could satisfy the question that was sure to follow.

"Oh really? And where are you doing at this time of night?" I glanced at my watch, finally realizing that it was almost 11 o'clock. Poor Madge.

"I uh, I actually have a date tonight." Of course that was the first thing to spill out of my mouth. The most preposterous suggestion possible- that I, Katniss Everdeen, would be going out on a date- on a work night, no less! I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes and wanted to confess right then and there. I wanted to invite him to my loft to watch the TiVoed Giants vs. Diamondbacks game and eat cold pizza on my floor with me, because that was the only thing I could imagine making me happy tonight.

"Do you have a date tonight?" He allowed a snide smile to creep across his face. "With whom? Finally decide to return one of Cato's phone calls?"

I wanted to slap him. Gale knew that bringing my ex into the equation was a low blow. I had dated Jason Cato for a little over a year, when I found out that he'd been cheating on me… With Charity Bolden, country singing superstar. The high profile infidelity made the cover of every major gossip magazine earlier this year, sporting headlines like 'CEO Heiress Hits a Winner' and 'Everdeen Athletics in Personal Crisis'. Not only had it tarnished the image of my company, but Jason -the star pitcher for the Mets- had been my first adult relationship since I'd lost my father. And it ended in flames. Needless to say, I hadn't spoken to him since.

"You're a pig, Gale, you know that? A real pig." The elevator finally reached my floor and I stepped in, leaving Gale alone. "What does it matter to you who I date, anyways? You quit the business of being in my life when you hired Thresh." The last thing I saw before the doors shut were Gale's hands being shoved into his pockets and a look a pure disdain on his face.

And somehow, I felt even lower then than I had all day.

**Can I just say that I love Johanna? She is so cool. Also, I promise that next chapter we're going to get a little bit of romance sprinkled in there...**

**Please leave reviews! Makes me write faster (:**


	3. Bar Crawl

**Okay, I know I'm going a little overboard with the updates, but they'll be trickling in much slower after this one. Haha, so please, savor this. I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you have a good time reading!**

**All credit where credit is due.**

I don't drink, but boy, do I love bars.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't see the appeal of alcohol, but It's just something I've never been particularly interested in. You could file that away under traits I got from my dad, I suppose. Growing up as an athlete, it wasn't really an option- for either of us. Losing control, if even for a moment, would never be appropriate if you intended on staying on top of you game. Sitting at the bar, though, was the best of both worlds.

Unlike back at the office, bar crawlers were content with the tiny miracle of being alone in a crowded room. And for the lucky ones, you'd make a connection with someone else fated to share an evening drowning their sorrows in a bottle or celebrating an accomplishment of sort. For me, it was a chance to people-watch- observation, one of my strongest traits.

"I'll have another Coke please, Haymitch," the bartender huffed and poured me another drink. Much like Sae's, the lighting in this place was always relatively dim and sported a sort of vintage motif. And by vintage, I mean dilapidated with a perpetual layer of dust covering just about everything. Haymitch Abernathy owned my favorite bar in the village, The Hob, although from as far as I could tell, he never abandoned his post from behind the counter. He slid the glass in my direction, with surprising accuracy for a man who never appeared completely sober, I might add. "Thanks."

Another thing I loved about The Hob was the fact that nobody cared who you were, as long as you were interested in the same thing as they were; drinking, fading away or hooking up. I couldn't quite figure out which category I fell under, but they seemed to accept me none-the-less.

As I sipped my drink slowly, I couldn't help but stare at a couple in a booth by the corner. I noticed them when they came in together, both already teetering a bit. Chances are, the pre-gaming was preparation in case conversation was stale or one of them got a little handsy. The man wore an untucked button-up and a pair of slacks, obviously having kept on his outfit from the office. The girl was in a bandage dress. It was nothing new or impressive, but you could see that she had tried to make this (probably blind) date a bit more promising by at least increasing the chance of not going home alone.

"How much do you want to bet he won't get her home tonight?" A voice piped up from behind me. Haymitch rarely conversed, and I hadn't noticed anyone else seated near me. All of the bar seats were generally vacant by this time of night.

I turned to face the voice and was met with a relatively familiar face. I couldn't place it, but I knew that we'd seen each other somewhere before. "Bet." I surprised myself by replying and extending my hand for the deal. "She's practically begging for it. Look at that dress."

He laughed lightly and shook my hand. "Oh come on. Maybe she just wanted to fix herself up a little tonight!"

I probably held on for a moment too long, while looking into his eyes for the first time. They were the richest shade of blue I'd ever encountered. And against my better judgement, I was kind of attracted to him. "Trust me on this…. Um, guy at the bar, I know people." I finally dropped his grip, realizing that my fleeting thoughts were directed at someone I didn't even know. And quite frankly, didn't need to know.

"My name's Peeta. We probably should have had a formal introduction before we traded bets." He smiled, a painfully adorable dimple forming. "So, woman-slightly-overdressed-for-The Hob-and-sitting-here-for-over-an-hour, how long do you think this budding relationship will last?" I looked down at myself. Of course I was still wearing my outfit from today; a slim-fitting Versace pantsuit, crisp white button-up and nude Yves St. Laurent peep toe flats. I hadn't bothered to change after running into Gale on my way out of the office and hadn't felt like going home quite yet.

And of course I hadn't introduced myself.

"I'm Katniss Ever-… Just Katniss." It would be nice if even for one night, I could be something other than a CEO or spokeswoman or pillar of strength.

"Nice to meet you, Just Katniss." Peeta smiled warmly and nodded back in the direction of the couple. "But you didn't answer my question."

I turned my barstool around, blatantly facing the couple. By now they were so completely enamored with one another that they wouldn't notice if I had sat in the booth next to them. I was slightly amused, playing this game with him. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, regardless of how pedestrian it may have been. It was a different feeling, responding to him. Everybody who took an interest in my opinion did so because they had to, not because they wanted to. And everyone who had ever wanted to was now long gone. "Oh, I definitely give them tonight, obviously. And he's definitely going to push for a second date. But she's going to find every excuse in the book not to make it, because guessing by the amount she's had to drink tonight, her judgement isn't the best. And in the morning, she's going to wish she hadn't done this."

He offered me a slow clap and I bowed dramatically at the waist, giggling before I thought better of myself. "Well done! You're quite the reader, Just Katniss."

I shrugged, "Knowing people is part of my job." It was true. Being able to gauge the pulse of the masses was a big component of running a business. What the people wanted, what they didn't even know they needed yet- was how we stayed ahead of the curve.

"Judging from the way you just called it, you must be quite talented." The couple finally stumbled out of the booth and out the door, hailing a cab before they even reached the sidewalk. I knew a one night stand when I saw one. "What about me?"

I craned my neck back in his direction. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't really know me, right? So how would you read me?" I took a second to mull over his question. My assessment wasn't going to be completely unbiased. Since making eye contact with him, I had imposed my judgement on him, from his appearance to his personality to whether or not I could go out with him without the paparazzi interfering to whether he was from New York or not and when he had his last haircut.

"I um, hadn't really thought about it." I lied and downed the rest of my drink in one gulp. He gently shook out his blonde locks, swiping them out of his eyes. "Except that you need a haircut- I noticed that. And you uh, have a stain on your right shoulder- looks like pasta sauce- which means that in your line of work, you must not spend much time in a formal office setting. I'd venture a guess into a career that involves art, I mean, because that looks like your fedora on that stool there. And those aren't really accepted in many other fields. Also, I've never seen you in here before, which means you're not from around here- because I know all of the regulars. You could possibly pass for a Brooklynite, judging by the 'timeless' pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers draped from your left shirt pocket there."

Peeta looked on in what seemed to be dismay, without responding. I knew answering was going to be a bad idea, but when I got started, I couldn't stop myself. Words had never really been my strong suit; or at least, delivering them tactfully. "Wow. You should really consider a career in clairvoyance."

I backpedaled quickly. "Sorry, it's just, I uh… I didn't mean to be judgmental or anything. I'm sorry if I crossed the line with the spaghetti sauce remark, but you asked, and I have this thing about lying to people…" He laughed again, waving his hands in surrender.

"No, no, Just Katniss. I enjoyed it. And this little meeting." Peeta stood leisurely, pulling his DUCT TAPE wallet out of his back pocket and tossing a couple bills on the counter. Duct Tape, really? This guy was endearing to say the least. "But I have to get going. And judging by the way that big guy looks back there, you do too." He tossed a glance over my shoulder at Thresh, who I had completely forgotten about. Gale would have never stayed this quiet for so long, especially if I was being approached by a man. "I'll be seeing you."

With one last precious smile, Peeta breezed out the door.

And when I woke up the next morning, that same smile was the first thing I thought about.

* * *

"So you mean to tell me that this shaggy haired, artistic, borough-rat is the type of guy it takes to get you off? Sheet, I would have snapped Cato up the minute you dropped him if I knew that was the case." Johanna was keeping perfect pace on the treadmill next to me, while I was struggling to respond in between puffs of breath. Although she'd stopped Olympic-level competition, she still ran marathons regularly, and she was a pillar of brute physical endurance. I admired her… But I could barely keep up.

"I'm not doing him justice, Jo, seriously. I don't know. It was just something about him. Something in his eyes- something I could trust." I had attempted to explain the run-in the night before to her during our 5AM workout at the office gym, but by her response, it sounded like I was failing pretty miserably.

She scoffed. "You're just having trust issues, brainless; on the rebound from Cato and that asshole, Gale. Get it together." The timer on our machines beeped loudly, signaling the end of our distance run. We'd gone 10 miles in an hour and thirty minutes- a cool down for Jo, a real victory for me. I hopped off of the treadmill, grabbed my water bottle, and wiped my face with one of the plush towels we'd released as a part of our "Luxury Fit" line last season. They'd been a big hit.

"You just can't seem to give me a break, can you? You act like the Gale thing was my fault." Playing the villain role was getting a little old. Not only had she been giving me hell about Gale for the past two weeks, but the spin on the cheating scandal hadn't been much better. Somehow I'd been turned into the neglectful girlfriend, so caught up in her job that I practically forced Jason into Charity's arms. Not that reality was much different, I supposed. I was dealing with a lot throughout our relatively short courtship, and romance was the furthest thing from my mind. Actually, I couldn't remember the last date I'd actually been on. But still, the bad guy role was getting a little old.

As we entered the locker room, Johanna wrapped a towel around her body haphazardly, heading to the women's showers. "You really are dense, you know that?" She whipped her head around, the sweat from her short pixie cut clinging her hair to her face. "I don't blame you for the Jason thing, he's a professional douchebag. But Gale? Gale is totally your fault. Why do you think he hasn't left your side in ten years? Why do you think he has barely dated in the time you've known him? Get a CLUE, Everdeen- he's in love with you!" With that, she strutted into her stall, gracefully dropping her towel in her wake.

I was back in my office in thirty minutes, showered, dressed, and ready to begin the day. And although I wouldn't admit it, I was glad Jo wasn't on tap for another publicity event this morning, because there was no way I could take her knowing looks anymore. Everything she said had made perfect sense. Gale had sacrificed the lion share of his adulthood protecting me, and I had spit on him for it. He really had been with me through everything, even though he very well could have left some time ago.

I struggled with my urge to pick up the phone and dial him until Delly buzzed through my line. "Katniss, you have your 10 o'clock in the lobby. Would you like me to send them back?" I collected myself quickly, grabbing the file I would need for this appointment (having completely forgotten about it).

"I er- uh, sure. Thanks, Delly." I looked down at myself, insuring that I looked much more put together than I felt. Luckily Madge had gotten my Derek Lam paint-effect woven and cotton-gabardine dress sent over from the dry cleaner this morning, because it gave me an air of true collectedness. I had opted for a pair of Nicholas Kirkwood shoes that hurt like hell, but my stylist suggested I get used to as well. My hair was side swept into a tight braided bun, giving the illusion of a fashion-conscious –but competent- CEO. Maintaining this image was exhausting.

Madge held her clipboard tightly to her chest, blocking the view of my guest from the front. "Ms. Everdeen, the Assistant Art Director from SELF Magazine is here to discuss the details of your August cover." I stood up, preparing to hash out the details of my cover shoot. It was something to be excited about, of course, but this was only the first of many meetings I was scheduled to have about this cover. And to my chagrin Marty Abreu, the _real _Art Director, wasn't even doing his own bidding by sending his second in command to meet me.

Add that to the list of displeasing things that were happening to Katniss Everdeen today. I extended my hand as Madge stepped aside. "Nice to meet you, I'm Katniss Ever-"

"Just Katniss, yes, I do believe we've met before..." He smiled, flashing that signature dimple.

"I'm Peeta Mellark, Assistant Art Director at Self Magazine."

**Hope you all enjoyed that little chapter! Please let me know what you think, what you hope happens next (what is Katniss gonna say now, what she does to Peeta)- I'd love to hear some predictions.. (:**


	4. Rent-A-Date

Precursor: this chapter is slightly longer than usual and holds a couple of plot twists. Enjoy!

_**All credit goes to where it is due (:**_

My mom left the day after Prim's 10th birthday.

But at least she had the decency to wait until she reached a double-digit age, right?

Her leaving didn't come as a shock to me. I mean, I could read the tabloids by that age, flashing images of her in dark cars and shady restaurants with Coriolanus Snow. Snow was a media-proclaimed silver fox and star of the big screen. He'd won two Oscars for Best Actor in a Drama in his career and was notorious for never settling down… until he met my mother at least. She served my dad with the divorce papers, and within days I no longer had a mother.

I've been told that's a little harsh- to completely cut your mom out of your life. But what I saw in the aftermath of her leaving wiped a clean slate where my affection for her used to reside. My father was a broken man. Within the month, my father had outfitted the house with both a new security system and bodyguards for his two children, courtesy of Capitol Security. Like somehow, he could protect us from any more heartache by spending thousands on external forces- when the real danger had been under our roof all along.

And while he'd always poured himself into his work 100%, something in him had changed; like expansion and success replaced the hole that my mother had left him with. Aside from the time he spent with me and Prim, he was a machine, dedicated to the function of unprecedented business growth.

And it worked for him. People loved my dad. I mean, really loved him. He was the sweet guy next door who'd not only help you repair your broken lawnmower, but teach you the principals of refurbishment and resale (so you could make a profit off of the old thing). I'd like to say that I inherited his drive, but definitely missed the lesson on people skills.

So when I left my meeting with Peeta, I still didn't know what to make of it.

"You mean that he was secretly a covert operative from SELF all along, tasked with monitoring your private movements to get the scoop on the cover story?" Prim's giddy voice rang through the phone as she tried to reason what had happened in the past 24 hours.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know if it's really _that_ serious, Prim. But I mean, what did he think I was going to spill- the Krabby Patty secret formula? It's just so frustrating that he wouldn't just be honest about it in the first place." I could hear her clicking her tongue at me on the other end and it really made me antsy. Prim was good at that, making me nervous. Since she turned 10 I had more or less taken on the role of her mother, and with that came great responsibility. From her frailness and propensity for sickness to her moving all the way across the country to attend Stanford for her undergrad, I hadn't stopped worrying in 15 years.

"Oh Katniss, you fret too much. Effie has told you about those wrinkly frown lines in your forehead." I sighed. Of course, Effie. I hadn't even thought about calling my publicist to alert her of the news. This could potentially create some sort of media backlash that she was going to need to squelch. "But listen to me; I don't think this Peeta is a bad guy. Maybe somebody wanted to treat you normal for once, you know? Even if he did know who you were at The Hob, maybe he wanted to get to know _you_. Not Katniss the CEO of Everdeen Athletics." Of course Prim wanted to see the good in him- she always did. But the reality was, Peeta knew exactly who he was dealing with last night and he kept that to himself. That's sneaky and inconsiderate. "You've been spending too much time with cranky-pants Gale. Speaking of whom, Rory told me that you guys haven't spoken in weeks. That doesn't sound like you."

Gale had told his little brother about our fight? That must have meant something. He must have been as riled up about it as I was. "Yeah, he stopped by here trying to play nice, but I wasn't having it. He knows what he did."

"Listen, I have to get going, I have an interview for an internship at the UC Berkeley Medical Center at 2, but please think about talking to him, okay? He's your best friend, and I'd hate to see everything you've been through with him wash down the toilet." Just as we said our goodbyes, Madge slid into the room, carrying with her that infamous clipboard.

"Ms. Everdeen, Effie Trinket called and requested that you attend the exhibition at the Agora Gallery this evening. The sales are going towards the 'Paint for the Children' charity and she says it'll be a great photo opportunity." Of course it's a great photo-op. The charity thing was just an added bonus. "You do, of course, need to RSVP immediately."

I nodded quickly, glancing at my computer screen to check my schedule. Not that my personal life was bustling, but I had a number of meetings that may have had to be rearranged. "That's fine, Madge. Please contact the Bloomingdale's sales rep and see if we can move our appointment to tomorrow night. And oh, can you have a dress messengered over to my loft?" She nodded quickly and looked away.

"Um, Ms. Everdeen?"

"Yes Madge?"

"Effie said that you're going to need a date."

* * *

Sometimes I felt like Josie Grossie from Never Been Kissed.

I mean, yeah, I'd had a few brief relationships in the past, but by and large I was clueless as to how I should handle myself in matter of romance. Honestly, femininity wasn't my strong suit at all. If it were up to me, I'd be wearing my leather jacket, cargo pants and riding boots everyday- but I've been told that's frowned upon. Having the resources at my disposal to hire experts in the way of managing social interactions and fashion awareness were the only explanation for my keen public appearance.

So when I prepared for the gallery opening, it wasn't alone.

My stylist, Cinna insisted on being there for the prep. He'd outfitted me in a belted Michael Kors stretch crepe dress and leopard print Dolce and Gabbana heels. My hair was done in a fountain braid and curled midway down my back. While I wasn't as comfortable as I would have been in my cargos, I had to say, the look was spot on. "Have I mentioned lately that you're a genius?" I asked, whirling around to face him. His smile, as always, was both sweet and amused.

"Not nearly as much as you should, my dear." His gentle voice filled my bedroom. My Chelsea loft was far too big for one person, but with Cinna present, it didn't feel quite so empty. Getting all dolled up was one of those sacrifices I was willing to make if it meant there would be some bustle around the place. "But a genius artist is only as magnificent as his subject will allow."

I shook my head at his flattery. "Thanks, Cin, but no matter how magnificent a subject I am, I don't think it's going to help me tonight." I'd agreed to the event this evening, but I wasn't feeling at all prepared for it. The Agora Gallery had become one of my favorite art galleries in on Fifth Avenue in the time that I'd spent working the New York social scene, but even that wasn't enough to get me excited. "What if Gale decides not even to show up? I wouldn't blame him. I mean, I'm a complete mess. I have no idea what I want from him, what I want to say to him tonight."

He soothingly rubbed my shoulders as we made eye contact in the mirror. "You dear, are both graceful and fierce, like a phoenix. You have the most driven spirit and determined edge of any woman I've ever met. You are the farthest thing from a mess." Gah, I loved Cinna. If only he was interested in my type, I'd just marry him and get it all over with. Instead, I was forced to sift through my strange barrage of emotions regarding my former best friend/body guard in an arranged pseudo-date capacity…

Say that five times fast.

Before I could respond to Cinna's kind words, the doorbell rang. 8 o'clock, right on time. Gale was never late. He offered an encouraging smile in my direction and gently urged me towards the door. I glided quickly across the floor of my oversized living room, opening the door and revealing a sight that I'd never quite acknowledged before: Gale was hot. Like really, really hot. Clad what looked like a charcoal Jones New York three-piece pinstripe suit with a navy blue Hermes Signature Collection tie (I shouldn't have known that, but you spend enough time with Effie Trinket, you learned what was what in the world of materialism), Gale was a sight for sore eyes. Even I had to admit that we'd make a disgustingly compatible pair.

"You uh, look nice." I mumbled out, quickly closing the door behind me, leaving no room for unnecessary fraternization. We needed to get to the event and get to talking. And the way I was feeling, the conversation in and of itself might be a bit of a challenge.

He placed his hand on the small of my back, the way he'd always done before, ushering the two of us down the hallway and into the elevator. "I don't look nearly good enough to be going out with you though." I could feel a blush creeping up my neck. This wasn't the first time Gale had ever said something nice to me, so why was I suddenly feeling all pre-pubescent and girly about it? We were just two friends, out for a night of reckoning.

I suddenly wished that Johanna knew how to keep her mouth shut. If she hadn't told me that there was all of this unresolved romantic tension between us, I never would have felt any type of shift. And from the way Gale's hand hadn't left my back all the way to the car, he had felt it too. "So uh, how are things at the office?" I struggled for a conversation topic that wouldn't come back to the strange ache that had formed in the pit of my stomach; whether from the unspoken tension between us or from the fact that I knew he loved me, I couldn't exactly tell. "Thresh is great, by the way. A real step up from the last guy they stuck me with." I playfully elbowed him in the ribs, attempting to lighten the mood. The driver had started towards the gallery, and the closer we got the more anxious I became.

He laughed. "Yeah, I handpicked the guy; no wonder he's top of the line." Typical Gale bravado; things had changed even less than I'd thought. "But Capitol is Capitol, you know, a lot of pampered people needing supervision- my favorite thing to deal with." He rolled his eyes. Thom Hawthorne had worked hard to craft an elite identity for his business, catering to the upper crust of society. While it had proved profitable, Gale had never been thrilled with the idea. "They all really need a reality check. I just wish we could appeal to the people who need us the most, you know? People with _actual_ security threats."

"Oh yeah, I completely agree." I nodded half-heartedly and gazed out the window. What was I doing here?

I felt a warm hand covering my own and immediately looked at the space between us. "You okay, Catnip? You seem a little off tonight. Not that you're the most normal person, anyway."

I didn't have time to respond. My door opened from the outside, already blinding me with the sight of flashbulbs. This, I could do. The protocol on red carpets was relatively cut and dry; mile, pose, turn, repeat- something I needed in my life right about then.

"Katniss, Katniss!" The reporters beckoned immediately as I stepped foot on the carpet. I had to remind myself that even charity events sported the same backdrops for celebrity as an awards show, as I walked past Mark Wahlberg (probably promoting his new movie) and Drew Barrymore (definitely advertising her new cookbook) within a few steps. "Katniss, is it true that you're dating Gale Hawthorne?" One not-so-surprisingly gutsy reporter blurted out as Gale and I stepped into plain sight. I shot a tight smile over my shoulder for the cameras. "Katniss, are you really over Jason Cato?"

That question caught me off guard. Cato had been my first and only adult love, having met him right in the thick of my personal turmoil. Things started off well between us. He was not only gorgeous, but seemingly sweet- and needy. Two things I couldn't quite cater to.

My smile, which was previously unaffected quickly tightened. "You don't have to answer that, Catnip." Gale's protective presence had once again appeared by my side, his hand taking its rightful place on my back, steering me away from the aggressive reporters and expeditiously into the building. He was always saving me from something.

"Thanks, Gale. You'd think I would be used to that question by now." I breathed slowly, readjusting myself to the much more relaxed atmosphere inside of the gallery.

"You shouldn't have to be used to it. This disgusting media virus needs to stop." I knew where he was going with this rant, the same place it always went. "We should get away from this whole circus for a while, you know? Just take a break from it all." I wanted to just nod obligatorily, but stopped short. The devil himself had materialized in front of me, blonde country singing superstar demoness right along with him.

"Katniss! What a surprise, I didn't know you were going to be here!" Cato offered his brightest smile and I stiffened immediately as he threw his arms around me. He was always too affectionate for my taste, especially under the circumstances. Somewhere in his mind, we must have reconciled.

I missed that memo.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Cato?" Gale's voice boomed from behind me, effectively stepping forward and creating distance between Cato and I. "Don't ever put your hands on her again. Do you hear me?" This was a disaster waiting to happen. Effie was going to be calling me out in the morning.

"Gale, its fine, really. Let's just go." I grabbed his elbow and he tore it away.

"No Katniss, it's not fine. Someone needs to tell this asshole where he can put his hands." He shoved Cato's chest. Cato, being the delicate, no-physical-contact- baseball player (nothing against baseball players, but I'm mean really, there's no touching), took a step back in shock. I was absolutely mortified. Not only was Gale back to his same hotheaded behavior, but now he was making a very public scene- one that was bound to be covered in every major daily gossip rag in New York tomorrow morning.

"Hey bro, it's all good. I was just saying hello to an old friend. Let's keep it kosher, man." The attention that had been drawn to the little altercation was growing, and I wanted to melt away. "Katniss, keep your dog on a leash, please." Gale was growing visibly angrier by the second.

I could tell he was waiting for me to rebuttal. He wanted me to respond to Cato's dog comment- but I couldn't. I just didn't have it in me. Gale refused to change his behaviors even after everything we'd through recently. There were no words to describe my mortification. "Maybe we should just go." I whispered.

"No. Maybe _I _should just go. It's clear that this isn't where I need to be." I knew he was implying more than just at the gallery. He meant with me. He didn't fit into my life in the same way anymore and we both knew it. We were just too blind to accept it. I watched as he turned to leave, everyone attempting to redirect their attention to the individual pieces of art that they planned on buying. I wandered away, trying to maintain any semblance of normalcy that remained in the evening. I stopped in front of a particularly beautiful oil painting of a sunset, drawing me into something more serene than the situation at hand.

"Do you like it? It's one of my favorite pieces from my last collection."

I knew the voice before I bothered to turn around and meet his icy blue gaze. The plaque underneath the portrait read a name I was growing to know too well. I silently mouthed the name to myself.

"Peeta Mellark."

**Wow, that took a while, eh? Please let me know what you thought, and if you want a more visual representation of the locations and ensembles featured in this chapter, the links are available in my profile!**


	5. Use You

**You guys know the drill, I don't know any the Hunger Games! Enjoy!**

He was an artist.

Add that to the ever-expanding list of things I knew about Peeta Mellark. It was weird, being around him. I found myself cataloguing every detail I could while I was in his presence. Like the way he always smelled like warm hazelnut cappuccino and the way his blue eyes sparkled if the light caught them just right. Or the way he had one dimple that formed when he smiled extra hard and more often than not smirked with only one side of his mouth upturned. And I just couldn't seem to overlook the fact that although his solid 6 foot frame stood a good 4 inches above me, I never felt like he was looming or overbearing. He was just _there_, and that was all I could ask for from him.

Not that I could say he was taking notice the same way I was. After all, we'd only known each other for a few days (and half of that time was spent in a business capacity). No, Peeta was treating me the way I'd realized he treated everyone- with genuine interest and mutual respect.

After the Gale debacle, I couldn't very well continue my evening like nothing had happened. I made a generous donation to the charity by purchasing piece of work, wrote down my contact information for delivery and prepared to leave. It was only on my way outside that I heard Peeta rushing to catch up with me. "Katniss, wait! You never answered my question before." I stopped abruptly and turned to face him.

A kindhearted attendant had pointed me in the direction of the service exit so I didn't have to face the media circus that was sure to await out front. Thresh was bringing the car around to the back, so I knew that I had made a clean getaway- until then. "What question?"

His shy smile appeared again, flashing that singular dimple I had gotten to know so well. "Inside, when I asked you if you liked my work, you didn't say anything. You kind of just walked away, actually." He ran his hand through his blonde locks, still in need of that trim I had pointed out at The Hob.

"What does it matter what I think?" I glanced down at my watch, wondering when Thresh was going to get there. Peeta made me nervous. Not in the 'I'm speaking in front of a room full of investors' nervous, either. More like the 'I'm a 15 year old girl meeting Justin Timberlake for the first time' nervous. And I had to say, I preferred my choices with the investors. "You're showing at the biggest gallery on 5th Avenue. My opinion is of no consequence to you."

"You have an honest streak about you, which is hard to come by in this business. And you know your stuff. You project market climates and trend analysis better than anyone in the market." I suddenly looked at him incredulously. What did he know about my market analysis?

He must have sensed my apprehension, before rephrasing his previous statement. "I've been researching you... For the article?" Of course. The article. Everyone had a reason to be interested in me, and none of them included _actually being interested in me. _And as much as I'd hoped Peeta was different, he was like everyone else.

Finally, the lights of the town car appeared in the distance, slipping down the small side street. "Listen, Peeta, I'm no conesuier of portraiture or anything, but I think you're good. Really good. Your painting inside, it made me happy in this inexplicable way. The colors, they um, they were rich and fantastical but reeked of reality." I shook my head at my own words in disbelief. What was I even saying at this point? "But like I said, it doesn't matter. It's not like I bought it or anything." I mumbled the last part as Thresh pulled up in front of me. He got out of the driver's side to escort me to the passenger seat and open the door.

"Katniss wait, its still pretty early. Do you want to hang out for a while or something?" Nobody had asked me to 'hang out' since I was in college, and I had to admit, the invitation was tempting. I had gotten all dolled up just to go to an event for 20 minutes, and all but get kicked out because of my date. I had to remind myself that Peeta's good nature was only stretching so far, though. And where that gave out, his journalistic nature was going to prevail.

At the end of the day, I was just another cover story.

"I better go." I ducked my head into the car as Thresh began to shut the door behind me, but Peeta held it open.

"Wait! What I said before, about the article, it wasn't exactly true." He shook his hair into his face and quickly swept it to the side. That hair. I could run my fingers through it for hours. Wait, what? "I knew about your eye for the beauty from your days at Julliard." My head snapped back to his face and I noticed Thresh take a step in Peeta's direction. Nobody ever brought that up.

Before Thresh could physically remove him from the premises, he stumbled through the rest of his explanation, eyes darting between Thresh and myself.

"We uh, we went to school together."

* * *

Going to Julliard had been my lifelong dream.

Being born and raised in New York state, you grew up understanding the prestige of the institution. And as I grew, the more alluring the pull of the stage became.

I had loved singing since the day I was born. My dad once told me that even my cries in the delivery room were melodic. But I didn't come from a musical family, or one that especially encouraged careers outside of concrete money-making, so I'd always considered professional musicianship to be a pipe dream. And it was my dad who finally pushed me to submit my audition tape.

By some miracle, I got in, and began my undergraduate studies in Vocal/Operatic Performance at the most prestigious music institute in the world. It was a dream come true, studying amongst some of the most talented people from across the globe. Finally, my lifelong refuge in music was fulfilled- and I was eating it up.

For the first time in my life I felt happy; legitimately, unadulteratedly happy, and was having a ball. I made some great friends, studied from the best in the industry and landed the opportunity of a lifetime as a member of the _La Traviata _West End cast after graduation. I was able to perform with them for just over a year when I received the call from my dad. He had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and only had a few months left. My music career was cut short, but was nothing in comparison to losing my father. I spent the rest of his days by his side, and eventually, assumed the position as acting CEO of Everdeen Athletics.

"What do you mean, we went to school together?" I stepped out of the car, placing me dangerously close to Peeta's face. If he was just pulling my leg to get me to deliver some type of secret about my short-lived life as a performer, I wanted him to say it to my face. I had never _ever _granted an interview about those times and if he wanted to get it out of me, he was going to have to be honest. "Did you just read that somewhere? Read about the poor little rich girl who gave up her dreams?" I pushed my index finger against his chest. "Well if you want to know more than that, you're going to have to come up with a slightly better story than 'you went to Julliard'."

"You played Donna Anna in _Don Giovanni _and you got sick five minutes before your first solo. It took your dad rushing backstage to get you to go on with the show." He effectively interrupted my rant. Nobody knew about that moment, expect for my father. "And when you stepped onstage and opened your mouth for the first time, nobody could believe it. Believe that Katniss Everdeen the girl with the sweet smile and shy demeanor had it in her to deliver a performance of that caliber. You lit up the whole stage. You were a girl on fire."

I slumped back against the car and Thresh crossed his arms over his chest, patiently. I could see Peeta's eyes visibly soften as I rubbed my temple. "How did you know about that?"

"I was working tech for that show.. I did it sometimes, because the money helped me pay for tuition." His hand was on my face, pushing a stray strand behind my ear. "I would never make this stuff up, Katniss." I turned to Thresh and gave him a quick goodbye nod. He took that as his cue to get back in the car. I would text him and let him know where I was going later. Right then, though, something was pulling me towards Peeta. I wanted to know what else he knew about me.

And I wanted to know him.

We walked a few blocks, a safe distance between the two of us. He had shaken me up with his recent admission, and while I'd never been great with words, I definitely didn't know what to say to him now. My natural inclination was to turn back, run away, because this unsure feeling was crippling. Even in business, when I wasn't fully confident in my abilities, I knew how to put on a strong face and look like I had it all together. But tonight, something about my façade had been shaken, and I wasn't sure what I could do to get it back.

"Katniss listen, about the other night, I feel like I should explain."

"Why didn't you just tell me? At The Hob, at our meeting, you've had more than one opportunity to tell me who you were and you didn't. You just let me go on believing that we'd never met."

"Because I even though you didn't know me back then, I've always noticed you, Katniss. And running into you by chance the other night was like something just clicked. Like maybe, even after all this time, I had an opportunity to make you, I don't know, see me." I stopped walking then, the clicking of my heels ceasing the rhythmic pattern we'd inhabited.

"You can't be serious." I laughed bitterly. "I know you've watched what a mess I've been over the past couple of years. Heck, you saw what happened in that gallery tonight! My personal life is a wreck. I have no idea what I'm doing as the head of this company. Everyone closest to me is either mad as hell at me or on the other side of the country. And the only people who care about my opinion are the ones that I'm paying to care. My life is a sham. If anyone understands not being _seen_, it's me." I turned on my heel, ready to go anywhere but here. We had wandered somewhere near Central Park, and I immediately texted Thresh to pick me up.

I felt his warm hand envelop my own, urging me back in his direction. "I see you, Katniss." My eyes found his, glittering underneath the street light. "Or, I want to see you, at least. This woman, this image that you have now, it's not exactly the girl I remember from college, but that's life. In the past three days I've seen that same funny, beautiful and slightly cynical person that I… That I used to know." He stopped himself midsentence, wanting to say more, but holding back. "I see that."

I wanted to laugh, to cry, to punch him in the face for being so painfully pure.

He was such an idealist, believing that there was still good in me somewhere; for believing that I was capable of harboring those same personality traits that I had back then. "Everything about this is wrong." I shook my head, attempting to rid myself of all the thoughts about him that had been bouncing around since I'd first run into him. No matter what he thought about me, I was still Katniss Everdeen, CEO. Not the happy-go-lucky college girl that he remembered. "We have to work together now, Peeta. This is strictly professional. I should have just gotten in my car before."

He had closed the distance between us, his righteous and earnest eyes peering down into mine. "If you mean that," he whispered, his breath tickling my face, "then I can hail a cab and we'll go back to business as usual on Monday." My breath caught in my throat as I felt the already too short distance between us shrink even more. "But if you are willing to let someone see the Katniss that I see, then we can figure everything else out later."

"What if I'm not who you think I am?" I whispered, barely audible.

"You couldn't be."

My body acted of its own accord then, closing the space between us. His lips pressed to mine, his palms holding my face to his. I felt a fire erupt in the pit of my stomach, encouraging me to deepen the kiss. It was an amazing kiss, but my rationality was overwhelming me. I still owed my father full dedication to his company and at the end of the day, Peeta still needed a cover story. I couldn't help but repeat the mantra Gale had indoctrinated me with over the years, _"You can't be so naïve, Everdeen. People are going to use you. You can't be so naïve, Everdeen. People are going to use you. You can't be so naïve, Everdeen. People are going to use you." _

I broke away quickly, frantically searching for a getaway. As if on cue, Thresh pulled up beside me, immediately exiting the vehicle and opening my door. "I have to go, Peeta. I'm so sorry." I ran into the passenger side, hopping in before anything else could stop me. Even if he didn't realize it yet, I was saving him.

There was a reason I couldn't let anyone see who I really am.


	6. In The Morning

I don't have much free time on my hands.

I wake up at four in the morning, come to the office gym and work out with Jo (which usually consists of biking/running double-digit distances). I shower, get dressed, putting me in the executive office suites by 7:30. Madge arrives earlier than any of my other direct staff, greeting me at my door with an Iced Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks in one hand and her infamous clipboard in the other. I gladly accept the beverage, breeze into my office (Madge following a respectful distance behind), and listen as she rattles off my schedule for the day- quick and concise- just the way she does everything. I nod attentively as I hear every other second of my day mapped out, knowing that she'll buzz my intercom every hour on the hour, to remind me of aforementioned events because I will undoubtedly forget something.

I prepare for the meetings that I'll never be ready for. I practice the smile that my father wore so comfortably that put everyone in his presence at ease, but I'll never quite master. I think about the business strategies I gathered in my thirty minute crash course one of the vice presidents gave me the day before assuming this position.

Sometimes I feel like crying. But that's one luxury I will never allow myself.

From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep someone needs something from me. I try not to allow that pressure to loom too greatly over me, but more frequently than I would like to admit, I find myself forgetting.

Today is no different than any other day.

Except the fact that Johanna hasn't been able to shut her mouth since the moment I arrived to the gym. She'd already been in doing a lower body workout for about an hour when I finally stumbled through the door, still overwhelmed with the events of the night before.

"Oh hey, brainless, guess they caught you slipping last night." I snapped my head in her direction and dropped my Everdeen Athletics Signature Duffel on the ground next to the door. If it was later I would have considered putting it in a locker, but at this ungodly hour, we were the only ones awake to care.

"What are you talking about?" I sat on the floor and did a few quick stretches. I was more strained today than I had been in weeks.

"I'm talking about the story about little miss lover girl on E! online's homepage. The one that has you featured in photos side-by-side with your two men of the evening; one for show and the other for sin?" She took her ear buds out of her ear and pressed the power on her iPod, aggressively. This was one of the nights where she hadn't slept- I could tell. Jo suffered from terrible nightmares; she attributes them to her childhood. It was one of the shared traits on which we built our friendship. On those nights, she'd come to our 24 hour gym, before the night owls had even gone to bed.

"It's really not that big of a deal. Seriously, I bailed immediately after making my donation and Peeta came after me." I stood up to do some upper body stretching.

"Oh, so I see he's back to being Peeta instead of Mr. Mellark like you were trying to address him the other day." She scoffed. I didn't know what her deal was with this whole thing. She'd been riding me since I had told her about him in the first place. "At least you're _attempting _to own it. You know, brainless, for someone who wants to focus on her image so much, your love life sure is commanding a lot of public attention."

And she'd always be especially irritable. "Can you give it a rest, Jo?" I didn't know what article she was talking about, specifically, but I had an idea. One of the photos of Gale and I on the red carpet, probably one from the fight with Cato, and a secret snapshot of me and Peeta in front of Central Park. I had been caught slipping. I knew that. I didn't need her to beat the idea into me. "Sorry I went out and had a little fun for once?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She put her free weights down and snapped her head in my direction.

I just shook my head. "Just drop it, Johanna. I messed up again. I get it. I'm sorry we can't all have our relationships together like you." I added sarcastically. A flush crept up her neck and found her face.

"You're such a bitch, Kat." She stood up from her bench and cross over to me, standing inches from my face. There aren't many people I fear in this world, aside from Jo. Separate from her mental fortitude, she is also one of the most physically impressive women in history. Standing at a solid 5'9", she's tall but firm, with muscles that will make you think twice before crossing her. Her dark brown, nearly black hair is styled in a fierce pixie cut that just challenges you to doubt her. She doesn't say much to people she isn't close to, but when she does, she surely means it. "Just because nobody else is willing to be honest with you, doesn't mean you need to take cheap shots at _my _love life. You know what? Just forget it. I'm out."

"What is your deal, Johanna? You're completely overreacting about this whole thing!"

She stopped at the door and quickly turned in my direction. "They're going to can your ass, Everdeen! The board has been itching to get rid of you since the day you took your dad's place." Her voice was low and very much in its signature honest form. "Wake up, Katniss. Get your head out your ass, stop focusing on things that don't matter and pay. attention."

She marched out the door, her back perfectly straight.

* * *

Prim got me hooked on and ABC political drama called Scandal two seasons ago and I've been fitting episodes in here and there ever since. It's taught me a few key lessons in the time I have been a fan.

_Number one:_ Extra-marital affairs with the president can be dangerous, which is why I've turned down the many dinner invitations to the White House (I wish).

_Number two and perhaps most importantly_: Everything can be fixed, but that doesn't mean it'll stay fixed.

My father putting me in charge had been a temporary solution to a permanent problem.

He was gone and he was never coming back; which meant that no matter what, this company was never going to be the same- regardless of whether or not it was still in the family. I could keep this business afloat. I _had _kept this business afloat, and thriving for that matter. I was never going to be him, but I was doing a damn fine job trying. If the board was going to try and vote me off the island, they were going to have to fight for it.

I buzzed Madge into my office and she appeared in front of the glass wall almost immediately. "Yes, Ms. Everdeen?"

"Madge, sit down. We need to have a conversation."

Her usual smile immediately turned into a look of pure fear. I'd personally selected Madge from a stack of applicants for her purity, among other valuable traits. She'd graduated from Washington University of St. Louis with degrees in Business Administration and Corporate Law and a 4.0 GPA. I knew she was too qualified for this position, but she needed a job after graduation and I needed someone next to me that really had it together. I trusted Madge.

With great apprehension, she sat down in the oversized white leather chair that sat nearest the door. "Ms. Everdeen, let me begin by apologizing for not having your drink this morning. The train was stalled by some issue or another and I couldn't get-"

"Madge, please, I'm not firing you. I couldn't replace you if I tried. I needed to ask you a few things about me getting fired." Her face relaxed marginally, but immediately tensed up at the mention of my job. I could see a flash of recognition in her eyes. "So you've heard."

"Yes ma'am. But it's all just flippant water cooler conversation. I don't even entertain it." She looked sympathetic.

I didn't know what to say. Jo had been right. "Why didn't you tell me?" I tried to keep the wounded little girl out of my voice, but I heard it anyway.

"You've been so busy lately- with everything. I didn't want to add anything more to your plate than was already there. And I didn't think it could be true, honest, Ms. Everdeen. This is your dad's company and he left it to _you_. That should count for everything."

"Madge, do you have a boyfriend?" I blurted out quickly.

Madge looked around the room, probably searching for a way out of this awkward conversation. "Yes ma'am." She answered quietly.

"Okay so here's the thing, you've been working for me for two years, and I didn't know that." I rationalized before I continued. "How have you managed that much privacy? Separation of work and home, I mean. How does that work?"

She looked deep in thought. Madge wasn't one to act without thinking first. That was probably how she kept herself out of so much trouble. Unlike me, who increasingly more often, found herself in constantly compromising situations. "Well, I think that you make your private life a separate priority."

"If you don't mind me saying, Ms. Everdeen, you work too hard to please everyone all of the time. Maybe if you focused on you, you wouldn't be it wouldn't feel like such a chore, you know, having a personal life. It wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone either, it could minimize shock value even." Her face lit up. I rarely asked for her advice, even though she was as well informed on matters of business as any of my formal advisors.

Then it hit me.

"Madge, could you help me with something?"

There were a lot of bridges that needed repairing from this week.

Between the two blowouts with Gale, the argument with Jo this morning, barely speaking to Prim all week and the kiss-and-run with Peeta, I just couldn't seem to win. But Madge had impressed upon me the importance of strengthening and finding solace in my home life, so that's exactly what I intended to do. If I wasn't ashamed of it, the media couldn't exploit it.

Secrets are only valuable if they're being kept.

* * *

So after back to back meetings at the office, I was headed to The Hob.

I could only hope that one of the people I owed an apology to would be there, because in reality, I was too much of a coward to meet with them on purpose. Gale frequented the joint, especially on Friday nights. Johanna didn't drink, but like me, enjoyed the solitude of being alone in a crowded room. And the most unlikely agent to attend The Hob, considering I'd only seen him there once was Peeta Mellark. And he, perhaps more urgently than anyone, I wanted to speak to right then.

I mean, Peeta had made it very clear by not returning any of the calls from my cell today (but promptly answering Madge's direct line), that he had meant his comment about business and pleasure. By walking away from him, I had decided to keep our relationship completely above board. And while I'd thought that was what I wanted last night, today I wasn't so sure.

I found my usual seat vacant among the bustle at the bar and Haymitch dutifully slid me my regular Coke with a grunt. Scanning the room was more difficult on nights like these- harder to make out the plausible backstories for people. Everyone was with someone, it seemed. It didn't take long for me to notice the dark-haired tower of a man at a table in the corner. Gale was surrounded by a couple of guys I recognized from various functions he'd invited me to for Capitol. One copper haired noticed me before I remembered him.

He stood up and pointed, directing Gale's attention my way. I waved shyly and he stood up, nearly knocking over the ginger. Finn, his name was Finn. "Well if it isn't Catnip Eversneeze!" Gale was drunk. He was really drunk. That was the only time he reverted to calling me by my adolescent, allergy-inspired nickname. "You come over here!"

I slid off of my barstool and halted when I felt a hand on my elbow. "He's been here for at least 12 hours, sweetheart. I haven't kicked him out because he ain't caused any problems yet. You know what I'm saying?" I understood. Haymitch wanted me to take him home before he got himself into any trouble.

My patent leather Jimmy Choos clicked across the floor of the bar, narrowly avoiding being crushed beneath the feet of a drunken dancer. When I reached the table, a couple of the guys looked confused, one was clearly staring at the V-neck of my blouse and Finn seemed to be one mimosa from passing out. Gale threw his arm around my shoulders, sloppily introducing me to his friends. "Speaking of the devil, you fellas know Katniss!"

Finn drunkenly pointed a finger in my direction and guffawed. "The heartbreaker!"

A chorus of shouts from the rest of the guys followed that comment. "The heartbreaker!"

"Gale, buddy, maybe I should take you home. You're pretty wasted." And that was putting it mildly. Gale wasn't a lightweight by any means, but he rarely got to the point of total incoherence- which was the level he had reached within the past 24 hours.

I was nearly supporting his body with my own, his limbs more or less turned to jelly. "Guys, I gotta do what the boss lady says. I'll just be going now." Another chorus of boos accompanied us as I ushered Gale out of The Hob. My apartment wasn't too far away, so I rationalized taking him directly there. He could sleep on my couch since neither of us had to work in the morning. Well, it was a Saturday, which would normally mean that I didn't work. But this weekend was going to have to be a different story.

"Why are we going to your apartment, Catnip?" Gale slurred as we approached the front door of my apartment building. The doorman held open the door and tipped his hat in my direction. I didn't bother wondering what he might be thinking. "Are you going to have your way with me? Because, I have to tell you, I'm a pretty cheap drunk."

"You wish, Hawthorne." As soon as the words had left my mouth I felt the body leaning on me completely tense up. "Er uh, just come on, big guy." I guided his body into the elevator, immediately putting the key in for my floor.

The door had barely shut before the tension in the air turned palpable. "You're right, Everdeen, I do wish." Gale's form had been repositioned in front of me, his hands on either side of my face. I was pinned by his stare, which had gone from glassy to ravenous in a matter of seconds. "I've always wanted you."

My breath hitched. His face was so close to mine, I could feel the heat of his words on my cheek. The smell of whiskey permeated the air around us.

"Gale…"

I felt his lips graze my ear as he lowered his voice to a whisper. "I want to take you right here in this elevator." The hand that had been next to my right ear was now on my waist, inching its way underneath my silk Michael Kors blouse. "I want to take off these stiff business clothes and take you right against this wall." I was paralyzed. With what, I couldn't tell you. I mean, Gale is an undeniably attractive guy and I really did love him.

Just not the way he wanted me to.

Gale had been a constant presence in my life for as long as I could remember, regardless of the capacity our friendship had taken. Despite his hard exterior, he had always gone out of his way to protect me- to care for me. But that wasn't enough to build a romance off of, at least not for the two of us.

The elevator dinged, snapping me out of my reverie. I slid away from Gale and into the hallway. His look had returned to that of the glassy-eyed drunk I took home from The Hob. He followed me inside the door of my apartment and looked around slowly. "Looks just the way I remember it." It had barely been a week since the last time he'd been here. I'd given Thresh the day off, so luckily he hadn't been a party to any of this. I directed him to the couch and he plopped down, removing the now soiled button-up he had worn to the gallery the night before. His olive skin rippled across is broad chest, causing me to reconsider my boundaries. No, Gale was still my best friend. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I went to the kitchen to grab him an aspirin and a glass of water. By the time I returned, Gale was knocked out, his snores ripping through the open space. I grabbed a blanket off of my bed and draped it over him.

We hadn't exactly done the talking I had hoped for, but then again, we never do. But there was one thing I could always count on;

He'd still be there in the morning.


	7. French Toast Over Forgiveness

Hello, all! Thank you for the follows, alerts and reviews they make me so excited about writing this fic. As always, please leave me more reviews and let me know what you would like to see/what you're mad about/what apologies Katniss needs to make (the list is steadily growing, I know)/ whatever! Enjoy (:

Madge, as usual, was proving herself to be more helpful than I deserved.

The corporate offices were empty on the weekend, sans Madge and me. I had called her in on the weekend for an emergency "save my job" project. Turned out, there was a lot of truth to Jo's threat in the gym. Madge had taken the liberty of pumping one of my father's closest friends on the board- one that owed my family at least a modicum of honesty. Plutarch Heavensbee was my dad's best business buddy.

They had shared a very similar upbringing, both coming from less than ideal home situations and succeeding in the corporate world. That was where their bond had originated; but in continued inasmuch as Plutarch was easily the most approachable member of the board, in both nature and in appearance. He was fairly short, measuring in at approximately 5'5" and weighed probably a solid 225. He had carefully coiffed gray hair and a booming laugh (one that I itched to hear on the executive floor on days when he wasn't around). Never to be swayed by his friendly demeanor, Plutarch is also the foremost authority on corporate communications. After stepping down from a top-tier government position in the White House Communications Department, he went into business for himself- advising young bucks like myself on how to guide companies into the good graces of the public.

Plutarch was a godsend.

It was him who finally spilled the information to me and my assistant that the board had indeed been tittering about removing me as Chief Executive Officer. He'd kept his ear to the ground to stay abreast on all the conversations and what it would take to dissuade them. According to Plutarch, I was going to need to offer some real convincing arguments on why I should stay in charge of this company, when clearly I wasn't the most formally well-suited for the position. I had spent my undergraduate years at Julliard, for goodness sake. And I had planned on spending the rest of my life on stage, breathing in the energy of the audience and reveling in the freedom of vocal performance.

But it was about time to snap out of the fantasy.

We sat on the floor of my office, financial reports and gossip rags articles spread about around us. It was a full memorandum of my life since taking office, and while it wasn't always pretty, it always brought attention back to the company. We'd been thinking Jo was the best advertising campaign we had going, when in actuality, it was me.

Every article that attempted to unveil the life that I had worked so hard to keep private, always mentioned Everdeen Athletics. And every time I was mentioned in a major magazine, our profits had spiked upwards dramatically. My star power had become a driving force for our profitability. When I broke up with Cato, we experienced unprecedented growth on our hiking boots (the same ones I'd been wearing when they got a shot of me kicking him out of my loft). The night I had gotten sick and passed out at the St. Jude benefit and Gale personally carried me to the ambulance, Everdeen stock rose by 5.5% in the course of 24 hours. The weekend that I had spent in the Hamptons with Gale's family last summer and inspired an US Magazine center spread, out swimwear had flown off the shelves in a matter of days.

Madge and I were going to make it known to every member in the boardroom who the most valuable member of this company was. And for the first time since starting, I felt like it really was me.

"Wow, I really think this is going to work, Madge, don't you?" Madge had pulled her hair back into a tight bun and secured it with a pencil. This was the first day I had seen her put her business education to work, in its truest form. While I was struggling to understand the rise and fall of the DOW in accordance to my social fauxpas, she breezed through the stock exchange easily, explaining it in simpler terms for me to understand.

She tore her eyes away from the after-tax profit margin and resumed her normal pleasant smile. "I believe we have a solid case to make here. You've reclaimed the image of this company." Her hand waved over all of the files strewn about around us. "I mean, there is no denying the fact that this company has experienced a different type of leadership under your watch, but it's obviously been a good thing. Even basing this solely off of cost-benefit analysis, you're an undoubtedly great choice for CEO."

I beamed at her words. Madge was sweet, but she was no liar. And if she really believed it, then I felt confident about our chances. The board meeting where the vote was rumored to take place was next Friday, the day before my interview with SELF Magazine- which, honestly, I wished I felt as confident about as the meeting with the board. Of course I'd sat through my fair share of interviews before, but this one was different. Peeta had been tasked with conducting it himself, and I couldn't lie to him about who I was- not anymore at least. He knew my past because he'd been there with me, even when I didn't know it.

"Are you hungry, Madge? I think I'm gonna call for Chinese." I stood up and brushed off my black sweats. Since no one was in the office, I wasn't at risk of being judged for not living up to my position by dressing like a "commoner" as Effie referred to anyone who didn't make a six-figure salary. My hair was pulled back into a loose braid and I was wearing one of my dad's old oversized Penn State hoodies. It was comforting, the way I could drown in it. In a way, it felt like he was still there, wrapping his arms around me.

Madge shook her head furiously and grabbed for her phone. "No, Ms. Everdeen, please let me do it." I began dialing before I gave her the chance.

"Ha, I beat you to it! And seriously, Madge, if you call me Ms. Everdeen again, I will have to fire you." Her face turned grave serious immediately. "Just kidding. But seriously, do you want anything? I'm starving, so I could probably order the entire menu and eat it by myself."

I wasn't lying. I hadn't felt this hungry in a long time. Not finishing breakfast this morning had seemed like a fine idea when Gale had offered it to me, but looking at the clock on my desk that read 1:30, I doubted myself.

I woke up around 8, to the sound of banging in my kitchen. How in the world could Gale have woken up that early after the amount he had drunk the night (and day for that matter) before? I pulled on my nearest pair of pajama pants, a fleece pair with mockingjays on them- a Christmas gift from Prim a couple years ago and grabbed my robe off of the back of my door. Just as I'd thought, Gale was standing in the kitchen, fleece towel wrapped around his waist and his brown hair dripping wet.

"Morning, Hawthorne." I commented quietly as I approached the island in the middle of my kitchen. I slid onto one of the stools and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "You're up pretty early."

He turned around and offered me only the slightest hint of a smile. "I could say the same for you, Everdeen. You don't have to work today." It more effort than I would have liked to admit to keep my eyes from raking over his body. I mean, he _was_ dripping wet and standing in my kitchen. He turned back to whatever he was making on the stove. "I went ahead and used the shower- I hope that's cool with you. I was kind of a mess after yesterday."

"Of course, it's not like you haven't used it a thousand times before anyway. You still have some clothes in the other room, in case you felt like putting any on. You know, so you wouldn't be nude in my kitchen." Gale laughed and scratched the back of his neck, his sign of being slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh yeah? Thanks, I didn't know if you had them still after, you know, everything." We had always had a strange relationship. While technically he used to work for me, we had always been more than that, so he had clothes stashed at my place for the just in case times.

We were best friends, forged together by similarity and circumstance. Our personalities, though different, had a lot of parallels. We were both passionately dedicated to our families, no matter what that entailed for our personal lives. Neither one of us knew how to let things go, so we held onto grudges for far longer than we should. Both of us almost always chose doing what was right for the good of the whole over what was right for us individually- for better or for worse.

I just nodded as he padded across the living room, his footsteps barely audible on the wooden floors. He returned wearing a pair of dark jeans and a Capitol Security crew neck t-shirt. He silently turned off the stove and slid the French toast he'd been preparing onto a plate. I just watched as he comfortably pulled the toppings out of the fridge, dousing the serving in strawberries and whipped cream before sliding it over to me. He knew me well. "Catnip listen, I know we have a lot to talk about, but let me go first okay?" I just nodded and took a bite out of the food. It was delicious, just like I remembered.

Gale had always been a decent cook, but rarely did it, opting for a greasy meal at Sae's. "You're my best friend. I don't want that to change because of some unresolved, uh feelings that I may be harboring." I placed my fork back on my plate and looked at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

That escalated quickly.

"I know what I did last night, Katniss. I have my guys downstairs in security pass everything suspect along to me, and some guy -that looked exactly like me- accosting you in an elevator, flagged their attention." He looked away shyly. "I warned you I was a cheap drunk."

Deep down, I was hoping he would forget the whole incident. Because deep down, I was just as much to blame as he was. "Why didn't you say anything, Gale?"

"Because it's not that easy with you- nothing ever is. I had to protect you and then I was there for you when your dad passed, taking over the company, you falling in love with Jason Cato- who I wanted to warn you was a total scumbag, by the way- I had him followed for weeks. And then there was all the media attention about the two of us being together and you seemed so put off by the idea. I just… there was never a good time to bring it up."

He was right. I wouldn't have told me either. I had always reacted so negatively to the stories of us, not because I deplored the idea of dating Gale, but because it just wasn't true. And if he ever wanted to be with anyone else, I didn't want our friendship to get in the way of that. "You can't love me, Gale." His eyes flashed ten different emotions before I continued. "I mean, not in the 'let's jump each other in the elevator' way. We _are _best friends, and I don't want to mess that up. Not to mention, we're a mess. Just look at us. We fight every day."

He laughed lightly at that. His eyes reflected disappointment, though. "True. I wish it was that easy, though. I don't want to love you, Katniss. It's not something I wished for. But I do want to be friends again. I'm tired of this petty back and forth between us. We're usually much less cliché."

"I agree." I nodded vigorously and took another bite of Gale's peace offering. "Now does this mean you'll be on my security detail again?" I asked with a stuffed mouth.

"No, I think it would be best for Thresh to stick with you for now. You know, given everything that's happening." He meant with his own business, of course, not mine. Gale was getting ready to take over for his father pretty soon and would be out of the field for good anyway. "So we're friends again?"

I smiled and threw my arms around his neck. "Friends."

As I hung up the phone for the Chinese delivery, my cell rang, breaking the silence that had settled over the room. Madge was back to highlighting an earnings report and wasn't paying any attention, but I picked it up and answered, shuffling out of the office anyway. Who knew how this conversation was going to go?

"Hello?"

"Yes, hey Katniss, it's me, Peeta."

"I figured from the caller ID." I deadpanned. As happy as I was to hear his voice again, I couldn't help but be a little miffed about the whole thing. I had called him numerous times and this was the soonest he could respond to me?

His light laughter filled the other line. "Yeah, I guess that's fair. Listen, I just called to apologize to you. I want to speak to you in person, if you'll let me. Things haven't gotten off on the best foot between us, and that wasn't at all what I intended. So could I come to you, perhaps? Take you out to dinner –totally platonically- tonight, maybe? If not, that's fine too." I cut him off, before he had the chance to continue his rant.

_Platonically_. He had said platonically. I had indeed screwed up any chance with this guy. When would I learn that running away after an insanely romantic moment with a man wasn't the best way to build up a relationship? "Sure, Peeta. I'd like that."

We said our quick goodbyes and I hung up the phone, before I slipped and said something that I would regret. Even though I'd all but ruined whatever relationship I had with Peeta and my chance at a decent article in SELF, I still felt vaguely positive- at least he was willing to speak to me outside of the office now. Today I had made peace with my best friend of ten years. Even though we definitely had a long road back to normalcy, at least we had started somewhere. And with Madge's help, I was also taking charge of my career and claiming this company as mine for the first time ever. Things were looking up.

I just hoped they could stay that way.


	8. Taking Charge

Madge was a machine.

She could sit in front of stacks of paper and analyze them one by one, painstakingly highlighting everything of remote importance for hours on end. However, when we neared eight hours of research, I decided that we should probably call it quits for the day.

"Madge, I think we've done all we can today. My eyes literally can't tolerate another earning report." I stretched my arms above my head and yawned. I was exhausted. This whole project, while it was worth every bit of energy we were pouring into it, was mentally and physically draining. And while any other day I would be fine subjecting myself to the corporate torture, I wanted to be prepared for tonight. My reconciliatory outing with Peeta was bound to be something I needed to be sharp for. With him, it took all of my nerve endings in full attention in order to behave properly. "I don't know how you enjoy this stuff so much."

She shuffled the forms in front of her into neat stacks, adding paperclips periodically. "This is my sanctuary." Her kind smile lit her entire face. "Numbers, analytics, it's all so clean. You can find answers in numbers. You can find solutions in formulas. I live for problem solving."

I grabbed my worn brown leather messenger bag off the back of my chair and headed towards the door, Madge trailing close behind. "Is that why you stick around this place? I mean, you're probably more qualified than I am to be running this company. Why do you bother being my _assistant_?" I pulled the glass door shut and sent a quick text to Thresh and let him know I was on my way down. I had really been forgetting about his constant presence lately. He was much quieter than Gale had ever been.

Madge pushed her glasses up the ridge of her nose. I took a moment to look over her features. She was by most standards a typical bookworm. Her curly blonde hair was swept up into a tight bun atop her head, with a pencil holding it in place. Her eyes were wide an innocent, but held this look of infinite wisdom behind them. "It's because of your father, actually." I stopped walking and looked at her. She lowered her voice slightly before continuing. "I would have never made it to college if it weren't for this company's scholarship fund."

I knew what she was talking about. The 'Seam Student Foundation' offered one high school student from my father's hometown an all tuition paid scholarship to the school of their choice each year. It was his way of giving back to the town that had raised him. "My parents, they... They died when I was young, and I was sent to live with my aunt Maysilee- who didn't exactly have the means to take care of her recently orphaned niece. And like most people in Seam, we lived paycheck to paycheck, with little hope of ever getting out of it. But I knew that I wanted something bigger- something better. Your dad, by giving me the scholarship, gave me a chance at a _life- _a real one. So I guess what I'm saying is, I owe my education and the life I know now to the kindness of your father."

I kept my mouth shut. Madge had been working so closely with me for all these years and I had no idea that she was from Seam. "So for as long as I'm needed here, I will offer my services. And I'll do what I can to protect the integrity of this company."

The elevator dinged and signaled its arrival, but I remained wordless.

If I still had a job after this board meeting, Madge was getting a promotion.

I almost wished that I would have walked home after stepping out into the early summer air. The temperature was nearly perfect, accentuated by my comfortable clothing. Although running the risk of being seen in this outfit and landing on tonight's E! Worst Dressed list might not be worth it, I was just getting sick of the indoors. Being cooped up inside of an office, or in a tight designer dress, or in between some social-climbing New York society event was just stifling.

I longed for those summer days in Westchester, when all I needed was my boom box set to some tragic boy band blaring in the backyard while I practiced archery for hours on end. Back when Prim and our mother would tend to the vegetable garden (to donate fresh food to the local homeless shelter) and tease me because I never quite developed my green thumb. Those days where it took all of my self-restraint not to "accidentally" let my arrow slip and hit Prim's despicable little cat, Buttercup. I missed my dad's joyous voice when he called all of his girls into the house for a dinner he had cooked.

I missed having a family.

But those days were long gone. My mother was probably off in LA somewhere with Snow, Prim was Being alone could only be tolerable for so long before you broke. Of course, I didn't quite know where I was in terms of cracking, but it didn't seem so far off. Especially not with the recent developments in my personal life that ended up chasing away the people I cared about the most. And my only real family located on the other side of the country.

"Are you alright, Katniss?" Thresh handed me a tissue from the center console, before I had even realized that I was crying.

I wiped my tears quickly, embarrassed by my slip. "Yeah, I'm fine, Thresh. Sorry about that."

He nodded solemnly and turned back towards the road. I was grateful for his silence. Thresh was a vision of the stereotypical bodyguard; strong, tall- a vision of solitude. One thing I had grown to understand about him was his quiet sensitivity. Somehow, he could always sense when I needed something or someone, and was perfectly willing to listen to me babble… or just sit there. He was a man of few words. Capitol Security really had found the perfect replacement for an emotional head case like me. "It's just, sometimes; I really wish Primmy was here. I miss her."

The car was silent for a beat.

"I have a little sister who's away at school too." I didn't know that. As far as I knew, Thresh was an only child, he didn't have a mother and father, didn't have a wife or girlfriend- he was just my protector; a pillar of strength, otherwise unattached to the world. But after listening to Madge this morning, it was quickly becoming apparent how little I knew about the people around me. "Her name's Rue."

"Really? I didn't know that." I blew my nose into the tissue rather loudly. He was used to such antics by now.

"Yeah, she just turned 19. She an environmental studies major at Brown. The girl has always had this crazy need to save the world." I could see the pride of his little sister filling his features. He wasn't one to ever say more than the exact amount necessary, so I didn't dare interrupt him, for fear that he wouldn't continue. "She's the only family I got. That's why I'm working here, though. Not that I don't like it, because it's good work. But, I'm sending her to school. Financial aid only carries you so far, you know?"

"But what I'm saying is I know how it feels to give it all up for someone you love. Going home to an empty apartment at the end of the day is hard. But we do it because we want the best for them. We do it because we're the only thing standing between making something of our family's name and letting it all waste away. It takes a lot of strength to do that, Katniss. You're a very strong woman."

The car pulled right up to the curb in front of my flat and Thresh got out to open the passenger side door for me. Without giving him a chance to protest, I threw my arms around his neck quickly. He didn't exactly respond, but that was okay. Before letting him go, I lifted myself to his ear level. "You're strong too."

I whispered the closest thing to a thank you that I could manage. When I released him just a moment later, I saw a lone tear slip from his eye. He offered me a quick smile before resuming his occupational duties. "What time would you like me here to pick you up this evening, ma'am?"

I straightened myself up, trying to resemble someone who had it together again. "Seven o'clock will be just fine, thank you, Thresh." That gave me about two hours before I needed to meet with Peeta. And I was going to need every moment to gather myself.

He silently nodded again, climbing back into the car and heading off in the opposite direction. I stood on the sidewalk, watching the car disappear before heading up the huge concrete stoop that led to my apartment building. "Jeez, watch it, Brainless." Johanna huffed and stood up, brushing off her yoga pants. I hadn't even noticed her laying across my steps, until I nearly stepped on her.

"Johanna, what are you even doing here?" I asked, taking a step in backwards.

"That's a good question, and I've been asking myself the same thing for the past hour." She rolled her eyes and huffed. I wasn't in the mood for her attitude right then. I brushed past her and headed towards the door.

"Well let me know when you figure it out." She caught up to me and grabbed my arm, stopping me from entering the building.

"Kat, stop. Listen, you know I'm not good with this sentimental garbage, so it would make things a lot easier if you would just chill out for a second. You're always so on-edge about everything." Jo reached up and swiped her bangs out of her eyes. Her hair was growing out again, for the first time since she'd stopped Olympic training. She had always kept her hair short and manageable for the triathlons, but now since she'd stopped, I guess it didn't matter as much. "I just, I want to apologize, okay? I want to say sorry about the way I blew up the other day. Hell, the way I've been a ticking time bomb for the past few months."

She slipped down to sit back on the steps, wrapping her arms around her knees. I sat next to her, careful not to sit too close. Jo barely liked physical contact under the best of circumstances, it was probably best to let her continue without the added pressure of having to reciprocate emotion.

"I know that it's not an excuse, but after I bombed the trials for 2016, I just, I guess I just lost it. So I'm sorry for being such a shitty friend to you. I've been taking all of my frustrations out on one of the only people who can still tolerate me, and that's not cool." Jo looked up at me for the first time since beginning her spiel and for the first time in our friendship, I saw vulnerability.

Even in April when she suffered from a traumatic incident at the Auckland, New Zealand qualifier, she seemed to have it all together. When she told her manager that she was going into a very early retirement, she didn't shed a tear. Never once did she waver in her decision, even though I knew that it was the hardest choice she ever made. Jo had completed three runs in the Olympics by the time she turned 25. She had dedicated her entire life to the sport, even racing in the junior elite division when we met in high school.

But after a lifetime of record-breaking athletic feats, she had choked. At the last race she participated in, she had a panic attack in the water, nearly causing her to drown. It took five medics and weeks of therapy for her to even get back into the bath tub. Ever since, she'd been struggling to stay afloat.

"Jo, we can fix this, you know. You don't have to stop racing."

Her green eyes flashed, unsure of how to take that comment. "Katniss, this isn't about the Olympics! I gave that up, okay? I gave it up, and now I'm just a normal Joe- trying my damnest to be a good friend." She stood up again, running a hand through her hair. "I can't race again even if I wanted to, okay? The ITU circuit is cutthroat and I'm an old woman compared to them now. I'll be almost 30 by the time the next Olympics rolls around."

"Johanna Mason? Scared of a little competition?" I stood next to her and elbowed her in the ribs.

"Everdeen, can you just accept my apology? That way we can both go back to our lives of effectively ignoring everything that hurts even remotely."

"We're not doing that anymore, Jo. We're going to face this head on. It's time for both of us to stop sweeping everything under the rug and hoping that it'll just fix itself- because it won't. We have responsibilities and very big jobs to do. You can keep running away from the issue, but the fact is, you need this." I pointed my finger at her chest. "You need one last go round in the ring before you hang up your gloves for good. And I," I pointed at myself "owe this to my dad. Hell, I owe it to me, to be successful. We're gonna get through this together, Mason. I swear to you.

We're gonna get through this together."

* * *

After all of the emotional revelations of the day, by the time I returned to my bedroom, I was exhausted. I just couldn't face the idea of putting on a happy face, slipping into another uncomfortable outfit, and going out to eat with Peeta. So I made the executive decision to text my car cancellation to Thresh and call Peeta and break the news to him. It wasn't that I didn't want to see him, necessarily, but the fact of the matter was simple- I just couldn't take it.

"Katniss, what a pleasant surprise it is to hear your voice. I didn't think you'd be calling me before dinner."

"You'll probably be reconsidering those words here pretty soon, Peeta. I am calling to take a rain check on dinner tonight. I'm just not feeling up to it." I coughed into the phone for good measure, just in case he doubted my sincerity. Not that it sounded all the genuine either.

"Oh, you're under the weather? That's totally fine. Make sure you get some rest, alright? We wouldn't want to have to postpone your shoot or anything. I'll talk to you later." I said a quick goodbye to him and silently cursed myself for lying. What did I hope to accomplish like that anyway?

I took his advice, though, and fell back onto my king sized bed. It was one of the few changes to my home that I actually liked. My apartment was furnished primarily for a Good Housekeeping ruse. That did a piece on 'Famous Flats' a few months ago, and Effie insisted on redoing my entire loft to make it more commercially presentable. She had all of my vintage, wooden furniture replaced in lieu of more modern, icy look. I didn't particularly hate the new décor, but I much preferred the comfort of my own property. And with everything going on, I just hadn't found the time to replace the new stuff.

I kicked off my tennis shoes and sprawled out on my bed, clicking on the oversized plasma screen above my dresser. An episode of Fashion Police was on E! and Joan Rivers was taking jabs at Madonna's outfit at the Met Gala (which I personally had told her looked quite fitting when we passed each other on the red carpet). I flicked through the stations and settled on an old black and white film with Humphrey Bogart.

I must have drifted off, because when I looked out my window, night had fallen on the city. Rain was gently beating against the window pane, which had probably pulled me even deeper into my sleep. My phone –the noise that snapped me awake- was buzzing incessantly on my end table. I picked it up and read the caller ID.

"Hello, Peeta? What's going on?" I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and checked the clock next to my bed. It was 9:10, which meant that my nap had been longer than intended.

"Hey Katniss, you said you weren't feeling well so I brought you something to help out. I mean, since it was probably the stress of my undue social behavior that has brought this and all." He laughed lightly. "Anyways, I'm almost to your block, so could you buzz me up?"

"Uh er, uh yeah sure. Bye." I hung up the phone and looked around frantically. I wasn't at home enough for my apartment to ever get that dirty, but it certainly wasn't clean. And I wasn't looking much better. My outfit was severely lacking in terms of sex appeal (and relative cleanliness), and one quick glance in the mirror told me that my hair was an absolute disaster. The braid that had been there before my nap, was barely visible, considering the amount of frizz and loose strands that framed my face. After going into the office so early this morning, I hadn't even considered putting on makeup.

I rushed through the bedroom, shoving wayward clothes under the bed and throwing stray heels into the walk-in closet, haphazardly. I took about fifteen second to rebraid my hair, rush out of the room and do another quick once-over of the kitchen and living room. Gale obviously hadn't bothered to wash the dishes he used for breakfast, but there was no time for that; because within seconds, Peeta was signaling for me to let him up.

There was just no winning with this guy.

**Hope you all enjoyed this little chapter! It was both fun and kind of taxing to write. Luckily, it seems like our girl Katniss is back on track (aside from with Peeta, she just can't get it together when it comes to him haha) and her relationships are en route to repair. If you haven't noticed yet, this isn't exactly the most romantic of all Everlark fics, but I think Katniss' own insecurities and self-exploration needs a lot of focus in this particular story. Stay tuned for more updates- and as usual, I'd love to hear what you think (:**


	9. Changing Pace

Peeta looked absolutely adorable standing in my door frame.

The rain from outside had effectively drenched his entire outfit, which from the looks of it had been really cute. He had on a blue and green plaid flannel button up with the sleeves rolled up to his that accentuated his gorgeous blue eyes. The same eyes that managed to stop me in my tracks whenever I looked into them. His jeans, while soaked, hugged his athletic frame in all the right places. He gripped a wicker basket in his right hand that must have been holding the contents of whatever he had brought to make me feel better in my current state of illness. I knew that I was staring, but just couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

"Katniss, would you mind if I came in? It's getting kinda chilly out here." He raised his eyebrows and allowed that one pesky dimple to creep in. I was borderline mortified by my ability to be so easily distracted, but moved aside to let him in.

"Yeah, of course, please come inside." He stepped in and made a right, heading towards the kitchen. I didn't question how he knew where to find it; instead I just shuffled behind him, listening to the sound of his squeaky Converse on my hardwood floors. "Jeez, Peeta, it must really be pouring down out there. Let me go get you something dry to put on." I left him to his own devices in the kitchen I started towards the guest bedroom that Gale generally inhabited on his nights over.

I quickly pulled some sweats out of the dresser and a dated Van Halen t-shirt from their last reunion tour. I had bought Gale tickets to see his favorite classic rock band for his birthday a few years past. It was the summer I stayed in the city with my father, after him and Prim had permanently left the Westchester house. And while Van Halen was far from my favorite band, he still brought me along with him. The best part of the night was letting loose with my best friend, back before things got complicated- not just between us, but in general.

Peeta was leaned over the stove, whatever he was whipping up filling the room with an absolutely delicious scent. Aside from Gale's breakfast earlier, my state of the art kitchen very rarely saw any action. I wasn't much of a cook, and certainly didn't have enough time to spend on getting any better. "Uh, Peeta? I brought you a change of clothes." He turned quickly, obviously having been completely unaware of my presence.

"Oh, thanks. Sorry, I get kind of in my zone when I'm in a kitchen." He laughed and pushed his hair back off of his face.

"Well, Mr. Mellark, you seem to be a man of many talents; photographer, master chef, visual artist and Julliard alum. What can't you do?" I tossed him the clothes with a teasing smile. He swiftly caught them and headed towards the guest bedroom, throwing a gentle retort back in my direction.

"I can't seem to get you, Katniss Everdeen."

I was glad he wasn't facing me, because the blush that I was sure covered my entire neck and face would have given away how I was really feeling. Peeta Mellark unnerved me. He brought out the middle school girl in me. And it wasn't like I had never dated before. Obviously I'd been through a long but ultimately disastrous 'A-list' romance with Jason Cato, but I'd also had a pretty steady boyfriend early on in my college years; which put me at a staggering two boyfriends in my 25 years of life.

Okay, maybe my experience wasn't staggering, but it was something- something that should have prepared me enough for an innocent dinner with Peeta.

Peeta emerged moments later, all but being swallowed by Gale's clothes. Not that he was a small guy or anything, but Gale might as well been shaped like an oak tree. There weren't many people who could fill out his long pants. "Well thank you for the change of clothes, Katniss, but I think that whatever giant left these behind might not be pleased with me wearing them." His lips turned up into that familiar half smile.

I moved from behind the counter to sit on a stool at the island. "They're Gale's. He's like 6'6" or something outrageous like that. I don't know how he even finds clothes to fit his oversized body. He um, still had them over here from when he was assigned to my security detail." Peeta busied himself with what was on the stove again. He even found an oven mitt (that I didn't know I owned), and pulled open the oven. When I hadn't been looking, he must've slid something into it. "What are you making anyway?"

"Well, when you told me you were sick, I knew exactly what you needed; some good old fashioned Mellark family cheese buns. I'm just reheating them, actually. And I got some chicken stew from Sae's on my way over, just for good measure. They have the best soup there." He turned back around, placing the tray on the counter. He had whipped me up an entire meal just because I'd given him the most thinly veiled excuse to bail out on plans I could have possibly given him. This guy just kept on getting better, even when I didn't deserve it.

"I love Sae's." I remarked, taking a huge bite out of a piping hot cheese bun. "Oh, my goodness- that's hot!"

He rushed over, fanning my mouth with his oven mitt, attempting to help any way he could. "Katniss, my goodness, patience is a virtue." His eyebrows knit in concern. He tilted my chin up so he could examine my tongue. "Are you okay?"

"Yehumfun." I mumbled out. My excitement had caused me to singe some of my taste buds off. Peeta took a step back, put his hands on his hips and frowned slightly.

"Look at that. Now you can't even express yourself in the King 's English. I wonder if your laughter would even be the same in your current state of duress." I couldn't stop him before his agile fingers found my ribs. I hated being tickled, but couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter as I tried to fight him off. Between his tickling and our furious laughter, I slipped off of the stool and landed in a heap on the floor. Peeta came tumbling down on top of me, his expression suddenly changing to something I couldn't quite place. "Well, we've really got a situation now, don't we?"

His voice was just above a whisper. I just nodded in response, my smile somehow fading along with his.

"How're you feeling?" His voice was husky. I just wanted to bottle up the way he sounded and play it back on those nights when I forgot what it felt like to want someone- because right then I wanted him more than I'd wanted anything in a long time.

"I'm good." He brushed a wayward hair out of my face it the feeling of his dexterous fingers sent shocks down my spine. I was a real goner.

The sound of the oven timer snapped the two of us out of our trance and Peeta scrambled to his feet, holding a hand out for me. "Well now you know my big secret; I'm a huge klutz." He laughed halfheartedly and went back to the stove, turning off the burner. We managed to get through dinner with just enough conversation and few enough accidental brushes of our fingers to keep it from being sufficiently awkward. But in all honesty, all I wanted was to be back on the kitchen floor with Peeta hovering over me, staring into my eyes with that same look of longing he had before.

When the meal was over, the weight of the day and the warmth of the meal threatened to pull me into another deep sleep. But I didn't want to stop whatever this was with Peeta. Not quite a date, but obviously not just a friend bringing another friend soup. Still, I couldn't help but allow a yawn to escape. Peeta immediately stood and straightened himself out. "Where are my manners? You must be exhausted. Please, don't let me keep you up."

"No, don't! I mean, stay for a while. I'm not really that tired anyway." I took the napkin off of my lap and tossed it on the table. I didn't know what had come over me, but I was headed to my bedroom, hoping that Peeta would just follow without question. I flopped down on my bed and motioned for him to sit down next to me.

He kicked off his shoes and climbed on. I clicked on my television and casually watched what looked like Rock Hudson and Doris Day's budding romance in Pillow Talk. We watched comfortably in silence for a while, before I felt the need to speak up. "Peeta, full disclosure?" I looked to him briefly and he nodded for me to continue. "I wasn't really sick tonight. I was more scared than anything."

He stretched his arms behind his head and leaned back into the pillow. "Full disclosure, I had a feeling you weren't sick. But I wanted to find a way to way to spend time with you anyway."

"Well, aren't we a couple of tricksters?" I laughed. I pushed the sleeves up on my Penn State hoodie and looked turned on my side, so that we were face-to-face. Peeta smiled back at me and reached over to brush away one of my stray bangs. I really should consider buying some headbands.

"Why were you scared about us hanging out tonight?" I noticed that his hand didn't move from my face. Its warmth was enveloping my entire being, but I didn't make any move to get away. Which up until recently, I had become a master at doing.

"Because I didn't think I could handle hearing another reason why I should be disappointed in myself." I couldn't look into his pure eyes anymore, so I turned my attention elsewhere. "I've been messing up a lot of stuff lately with a lot of different people, and I just didn't want to hear you say that I messed up, too."

Peeta flipped on his side as well, causing Gale's old t-shirt to ride up just slightly. I could make out the v of his waist/abdomen area. He just kept getting better and better.

"You didn't mess up at all. If anything, I've messed up- which is the whole reason why I'm here, actually. I had to tell you that I'm sorry… for everything. I wasn't completely honest with you from the beginning, and that wasn't okay. The truth is, Katniss, I've wanted to speak to you for some time now, but obviously was either too scared or too preoccupied with being preoccupied to do anything about it. When I heard that you were going to be our cover story, I chomped at the bit trying to land the interview. I just, I can't explain it…"

He sat up, folding and unfolding his hands in his lap. I wanted to say something, anything to prod him to keep going, but I didn't dare. One thing I had learned in our time together was that Peeta was a very eloquent speaker. And if he was having trouble getting out what he wanted to say, it must have been important. "I know things have changed since our days in school together. I mean, I know that I've changed since then. But I just, when I look at you -especially today- I still feel everything I felt when I saw you back then. You're just so natural and honest. There aren't many women like you out there- at least, not that I've met in my lifetime."

Peeta Mellark was blushing. His normal, self-assured attitude was wavering and he didn't know quite what to make of the situation. He had liked me in college, and that realization alone was hard to process. I tried to think of the girl he knew back then, but couldn't quite picture any semblance of that now. In college, I still held onto my youthful naïveté. I still believed that the power of music could right all wrongs. I was still under the impression that my mother would realize what she did wrong and come back to my father.

But at the end of the day, those were all fantasies.

I sat up, driven by pure instinct. I was tired of talking, tired of thinking everything out. "Peeta, I'm not one for exposition, so I'm just going to say this once, okay? I don't know how much of what you're saying is real or not real. I don't know how much of the Katniss you remember is still in here." I placed one hand over my heart and cupped his cheek with my other. "But I do know that since I've met you, I've been confused and happy and scared- in the best way possible... And that accounts for a lot in my book. So maybe, just for tonight, you could kiss me and I'll promise not to run away?"

He didn't waste any time. Peeta's soft lips caressed mine with more desire than I ever remembered. His hand gripped my waist underneath my hoodie, gently massaging the skin. I wanted to be closer to him. I wanted him to know that even after all of my screw ups tabloid cover stories, I could still be okay. I could still feel and reciprocate emotions without being scared of them.

I wanted to know that for myself too.

I removed my hands that had been tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, and reached down to pull my hoodie over my head. Peeta broke away momentarily, only allowing the slightest hint of disbelief to cloud his otherwise lust-filled gaze. I didn't think I was looking especially alluring in my Everdeen Athletics sweatpants and hot pink sports bra, but apparently Peeta felt otherwise. The way he looked down at me almost made me want to put my oversized hoodie back on and turn the lights out for the night, but he wasn't having it. Peeta's lips reconnected with mine momentarily before breaking away and trailing kisses down my neck and onto my collar bone.

I urged his shirt up and he threw it aside quickly. I immediately wished that I had never given him that freaking Van Halen tee in the first place. Peeta was built like a statue, crafted by the most masterful sculptor in Europe. His abs were perfectly chiseled and his chest was defined to perfection. I ran my hands over his chest, feeling the fine blonde hairs that weren't visible to the naked eye. Just like what I'd wished for in the kitchen, Peeta was finally hovering above me again, this time without any false pretenses.

"Katniss," he began breathlessly, "we should stop."

Wait, what?

"Stop? I promised not to run away, remember?" I didn't want him to go- not again. I knew what I wanted now, and despite my earlier actions to imply the contrary, I wanted him.

He fell onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. We were both breathing pretty heavily, and with one look at his sweatpants, it was no secret as to why. "Let's pump the brakes tonight. As much as it quite literally pains me to say this, I want to wait." He looked at me gently, imploring me to understand. "I want to wait until we have a real date; a night that's not filled with emotional confessions and pent up sexual desires. Well, we could actually keep the pent up sexual desires part."

I smiled at him and nodded. I understood what he meant. For Peeta, having known me much longer than I had consciously known him, another week of foreplay wasn't going to kill him. Peeta Mellark never ceased to impress me. I curled into his side, fitting perfectly into his form. He wrapped an arm around me, while another hand unraveled my braid and fingers deftly ran through my hair. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Always."

* * *

I floated through the next few days.

Those weren't my words; by the way, both Madge and Johanna had pointed it out at various points. Between receiving flirty texts throughout the day from Peeta and feeling as though I finally maintained some control over the balance between my personal and professional lives, I was feeling pretty good. Almost good enough to forget about the board meeting on Friday that was set to call my leadership abilities into question.

"I swear you've been floating around like a dog that just got his first bone since Saturday." Johanna folded her legs underneath herself in one of my huge office chairs. I had decided to work through lunch today, but Jo decided to stop by and pay me a visit anyway- which of course entailed plenty of jests on her part. "Or just _got boned _for the first time." She added with a cackle.

I huffed and shut the screen on my Mac. "Jo, must you be so vulgar?" She rolled her eyes and stepped behind my desk to look out the huge picture window. One of the perks of this gig was the near perfect view of the Empire State Building. I spun my chair around to gaze alongside her. "What time does your flight leave?"

"I need to be at the airport in three hours." Instinctively, Jo reached up to push her bangs back, but was met with nothing. She had gotten her hair cut this morning in preparation for her resumed training. After our conversation the other night, Johanna had made the commitment to reapply herself to the cause of 2016 Olympic qualification. And now was headed to the training center in Boulder, Colorado this afternoon.

"You know, Jo, if it's worth anything, I'm really proud of you." I stood up and bumped my hip into hers. Her green eyes flashed with pride before she allowed her amusement to creep in.

"Oh what, Everdeen? You didn't think Johanna Mason was really going to give up that easily, did you?" Her bony fist connected with my shoulder and a playful punch. She had a point. There was no way she could call it quits after one slip- not the Johanna Mason that I had grown up with.

I smiled broadly at the thought and turned to sit on my desk. "Yeah well, not many high school students skip the senior prom to attend Olympic trials in Prague- so we all knew there were big things ahead of you, Jo." She had been groomed for this destiny her entire life. Even in school she had periodically missed weeks on end for training and triathlons, until one day, her parents decided to pull her out completely. Instead opting for private tutors and online correspondence.

Attending Worthington Preparatory Academy for my formative years would have been all but awful if it hadn't been for Jo's presence. Although she technically came from a family of relative wealth, her life had never been perfect. Riddled with scars of both physical and mental abuse during her adolescence, Jo was a cynical girl. While that cynicism wasn't always well-received, it had been a breath of realism among our WASP counterparts. That was probably what drove us together; our collective desire for something real to hold onto.

"Prom is overrated anyways, Kat. Banging that gorgeous rower from the Spanish national team that night, though-_ that_ I'll never forget." We both burst into a fit of laughter. She crossed her arms and leaned against the window. Jo was a mess. Her attitude, her history- my best friend, no matter how screwed up, had always been there for me. Her smile slowly faded. "You know, Brainless, I know that I've done this whole thing before. This time it just feels different. What do I have when I'm not achieving these great athletic feats anymore? It's … it's all I have left. It's all I've ever been."

"That's just the thing, Jo. This isn't all you have. Because me and you? We're family. You got me, Mason."

It wasn't long before Madge was buzzing me to remind me of a meeting with a prospective buyer, and Jo had to get ready to go catch her flight. As we gave our goodbye hugs and Johanna turned to leave, I recognized that I had allowed some of the tears that'd been on the verge of spilling out cascade onto her black t-shirt. And as she tossed me a quick smiled over her shoulder, I realized something that I never had before.

This time –for the first time- I wasn't the only one crying.


	10. Surprise Visits

**I'm back! I know, I can't believe it either. If you've stuck around to get here- I love you and appreciate your support. Without any further adieu, here comes the beginning of the end to "Seam in the City".**

My head was resting on Peeta's firm chest while he re-read "1984". His copy was so dog-eared and worn; even he couldn't recall how many times he had been through the book. He was so engrossed in the novel, even after all these times, that I couldn't help but be preoccupied with his profile. He looked so studious and serene in his black frame reading glasses. I could vaguely hear the indie-rock music wafting from the iHome speakers next to his bed and smell the lingering scent of cinnamon in the air from dinner.

Peet had insisted that I come over for a meal tonight, sensing the stress that had begun to set in over the past couple days. I couldn't very well explain to him that I was facing the board members of my own company in twelve hours to beg to keep my job, so he was really at a loss for how to comfort me. And instead of pretending nothing was wrong (like I and most of the other people in my life) would choose to do, he got me to a place where I felt comfortable with the unknown- for a little while at least.

We hadn't been doing this dating thing for long enough to say a lot of the things that I'd been thinking, but the emotions were real- very real. Something about being with him and made me feel more at home than I had in a very long time.

Peeta's apartment was in Brooklyn, like I'd originally predicted that night in The Hob. I loved it, though. It reminded me of my own loft before Effie and Good Housekeeping got a hold of it. The walls were adorned with some of Peeta's own photography and a lot of vintage film posters. He had one of the biggest vinyl collections I'd ever seen a civilian keep in their home (aside from John Mayer. He made sure to show me when I went to his album release party for Battle Studies).

Without tearing his eyes away from his book, Peeta's voice rumbled through his chest. "When this is all over, I want to go somewhere." Without telling him about the harsh reality that I may never be the girl to tear herself away from her job, I went along with his little scenario.

"And where, pray tell, would you be going?" I asked, tracing little circles around the outline of his belly button. While I was still dressed in the outfit that I'd worn to work, he'd been able to come home and change into something more comfortable; a black v-neck t-shirt that allowed for just enough muscle to show, light wash jeans (with holes in the knee that he had actually bore into them himself, not those fake rips) and red hi-top Chuck Taylor's. He'd kicked off the Chucks before we fell onto his bed in a fit of tryptophan-induced exhaustion.

"Well, _we'd _be going somewhere fun, my lady. Somewhere you've never been but always wanted to go." His hand gently combed through my hair, having long ago destroyed my braid. Not that I was complaining or anything.

"I want to go hiking in the Adirondacks. My dad always talked about taking us up there, but we never got around to it." I sighed. Usually I couldn't stand to bring up my father. It brought on a barrage of emotions. Tonight though, it just felt like it made sense to talk about it with Peet. About the things we'd always wanted to do but never got around to it… The things my dad and me would never get around to together.

He kissed the top of my head and replied quietly. "Well, so it has been wished, so it shall be done."

I was so wildly comfortable just lying there, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart and day-dreaming about how long this would last before I messed it up again, that I hadn't even noticed my cell vibrating in my back pocket.

"Katniss, don't you think that you should answer that?" Peeta pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smirked. Reluctantly, I reached back and slid the answer bar over, without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered happily. Within a week's time, even I could tell the difference Mellark was having on my attitude. I'd been breezier, more carefree. And like Madge had advised, I wasn't feeling guilty about having a personal life anymore. If I made no excuses for it, the media couldn't capitalize on me keeping everything under lock and key. I was being proactive for now, and it had my public profile growing by leaps and bounds. Hopefully the board was able to recognize that in the meeting.

"Katniss? I can't believe it's really you." I immediately recognized the voice and dropped the smile from my face. Pulling the phone back to glance at the screen confirmed my suspicions; 714 area code, unknown number- it was my mother.

I sat up quickly and adjusted myself, straightening my blouse and swiping my hair back behind my ears like somehow she could sense that I was off my guard. "How did you get my number?" My voice was clipped.

"Please don't be mad Kat-"

"I said, how did you get my number?" I repeated, more forcefully this time. I hadn't spoken to her since my father's funeral, and even then I had fought tooth and nail to keep her from attending. Peeta set his book down in his lap and mouthed 'Who is it?' to me with concerned eyes. I shook my head and signaled to him that I'd only be a minute.

"Well, Primmy gave it to me. But I'd been harassing her for it and finally she just-" I interrupted her again.

"What do you mean, Prim gave it to you? What are you doing speaking to Prim? I gave very specific instructions to her security detail when she decided to go to school out there that you were to have absolutely no contact with her." I was getting very clearly riled up. I had been able to keep my cool much easier lately, but she had completely unnerved me. How dare she reach out to Prim after I made it clear that she didn't get to do that? I got off of Peeta's bed and slid my feet into the Manolo's that I'd abandoned after dinner. I hustled into the living room before he had to witness this whole dreadful scenario.

"After seeing each other at the funeral, we reconnected. We've been in the same state, Katniss. You couldn't expect us not to see each other." She was grasping at what would be normal rationale if she were talking to someone else. It wasn't going to work with me.

I was going to kill Primrose with my bare hands the next time we got within a thousand miles of one another. I didn't know what kind of stunt she was trying to pull, but I wasn't having it. "You don't have that right, Mara. You left her. You don't get to be her mom now. And honestly, I don't even know why I'm speaking to you." I rubbed the space between my eyes, which if Effie was here, she would direct me to stop wrinkling. I looked around the room, searching for something, anything that would give me solace. As if on cue, Peeta emerged from the bedroom, folding his reading glasses in his hand. He leaned against the doorframe, his signature concerned expression taking over his beautiful features. "Where do you even get off? There's a reason why I have never given or allowed for you to have my number."

"You're my daughter, Katniss! Doesn't that count for anything?" Her voice was quivering. I didn't feel bad. The opposite, actually, I felt good. She deserved to experience even a portion of what I had been feeling for the past ten years. I wanted her to know what it felt like to be abandoned and rejected.

"I'm not your daughter! I had one parent and he is dead now. You might as well be too. And to answer your question, it counts for absolutely nothing." My voice was dripping with venom.

"Please don't do this. I was just calling to bridge the gap."

"The gap only exists because you put it there, Mara. You did this. You're the one who cheated on your faithful husband and left your family without so much as a second thought. You left your fifteen-year-old daughter to raise your youngest child- one who was barely old enough to remember what it felt like to have a real mother. You know what? I don't even have time for this. Don't call me again; do you hear me? If there's something that needs to be said, you can direct your inquiries to my lawyer or my assistant- you can choose." I hung up quickly and immediately felt whatever energy remained drain from my body. I slumped onto the lumpy corduroy sofa and barely had time to feel the pillows before Peeta's warm body enveloped mine.

I curled into his form, completely disregarding the fact that my stilettos were boring into his furniture and that my blouse was probably getting irrevocably wrinkled. I was sobbing. Huge, heaving, unattractive sobs racked my body as Peet just calmly smoothed my hair and whispered reassuring words into my ear. I didn't want him to see me like this. And worse, didn't want to admit to _anyone, _not even myself that this woman had this type of effect on me. It wasn't until I had slowed to manageable whimpers that Peeta started to speak again.

"Kat, I'm not going to do your interview, okay? I can't be this for you and do my job. And I'd much rather be this." As soon as he'd said those words, a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I'd been working on my capacity to trust lately, but in my mind, I couldn't help but fear Peeta's journalistic instincts would take over and exploit my vulnerability. Which, in retrospect, had probably been the reason I left his bedroom in the first place. He was carving out a very special place for himself in my heart. A place that Gale would argue shouldn't even exist: having faith in the goodness of humanity.

But still I couldn't help but ask, "Why not? That's your career." I pushed myself up out of his lap and wiped my face quickly. "You've worked hard for that- for that interview." I stood up. I didn't know why I was pushing the issue, but then again, my life had always been riddled with self-doubt.

"No, Katniss. I've worked hard for this. I've worked hard to get here, with you. Nothing is more important to me than that right now." God, why did he insist on being so earnest?

"This is the point where I'm supposed to run, Peeta." He looked confused so I continued. "It's what I do. I show my softer side, you tell me that you're willing to make sacrifices that I'm not ready for, and then I run away."

He stood up and laced his fingers with mine. "I'm not asking you for anything that you haven't already given me, Kat. I just want you and the chance for us to be together. Anything else can wait until further notice." He paused before saying anything else.

"And whatever you have to do tomorrow- I know you can't tell me what it is- will be fine. Don't let any of this mess with your head. You know what's real and what's not."

**Well here comes the big day. Hopefully Katniss can pull it together in time for the board meeting. I had intended to make this MUCH longer, but I think I'll save that for our next (and most likely, final) chapter. Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to this story; put it on alerts, reviewed- etc. It means the world to me and hopefully you're willing to put up with me even after this hiatus.**


	11. Foresight at its Finest

**Hey everyone! I'm back and with a much longer chapter than usual. This was probably the most fun I've had so far, so I hope you enjoy it as well. There will be one more chapter after this, and then I'll be saying my goodbyes to "Seam in the City"… for now. As usual, **_PLEASE_** review. I live for your opinions. Also, I want some feedback before I go into the next chapter (you'll see why later). All right, read on!**

The scenery was more than I ever could have imagined, even after combing through travel brochures and tourist videos for months. I took a deep breath, greedily inhaling the brisk mountain air into my lungs. My view at that very moment was second to none. It was filling me with an overwhelming sense of possibility. From the balcony of the cabin it seemed like I could see the entire range, just as I had requested. Everything was ideal. I couldn't believe that after all of this time, I was actually here, living the life that I hadn't dared dream about four years ago.

I was so afraid back then, having taken on what seemed to be the impossible task of running my father's company- my company.

"Hey there you are, baby. I was wondering where you had gotten off to." Peeta came outside and wrapped his arms around my waist. I hadn't realized how chilly I'd been until I felt how warm he was, no doubt from the fireplace that had been burning all night in our bedroom. He nuzzled into my neck and kissed the top of my shoulder. "I hate waking up without you next to me."

I relished in his touch, but fired back at him. "Oh, stop it. With the way you were snoring, you barely even noticed I was gone." This sort of pseudo-public affection had taken some time to get used to, even after the wedding. Admittedly, everything had gone kind of fast. I mean, we had barely been dating for six months when Peeta proposed to me. And then another six months later, we were married.

"I don't know why you still insist on playing hard to get, my love." He laughed, pulling my tighter against him. Through his thin pajama pants I could tell what had probably brought him looking for me this morning. "Let's go back inside. I could ring for some breakfast." I giggled and slipped out of his grasp, pulling my robe tighter around me. I enjoyed this, the cat and mouse thing we did sometimes… The cat and mouse thing we did most of the time.

"Mellark, you know that if you called for food, it would take an hour for anyone to even get here. That's why we bought the place, remember?" I was sure he remembered. We had purchased our (3 story, 5 bedrooms, 3 and a half bathroom) home in the Adirondacks mainly for its privacy. Not that the aesthetics were shabby, though. It sat on 2 acres of woodland property, fairly far removed away from anyone and anything. Privacy was something we'd become very serious about guarding rather quickly after beginning our relationship.

The press wanted to know everything, right off that bat. What had happened between Gale and me, where I had met this gorgeous no-name artist from Brooklyn, how long we had been together- the whole nine yards. We needed something for ourselves; a refuge that we could call our own. And after we had stayed here for our honeymoon, it became clear that this was the place we needed to be.

Although as much as I loved it, we still spent most of our time at our townhouse in the city. Some things just came with the territory. I obviously had to remain close to the headquarters for business purposes and Peet's job (while awesome) required almost as many long hours as mine. After being offered a position as Art Director over at Rolling Stone, we'd both realized how badly we'd be needing a cozy place to crash after ours days at work.

"I know, I just needed something to entice you to come back inside. Seriously, Kat it's freezing outside. I don't know how you manage. I'll never understand." He definitely had a point. It was upstate New York in the late months of the fall, and winter was supposed to hit hard this year. I wasn't complaining, though. I'd still rather be freezing there than in the city.

"Well, if it'll make you quit whining!" I threw up my hands in mock defeat and slipped inside, instantly feeling wildly more comfortable. "Besides, I have to start getting ready, right? Everyone should be here within the next few hours." I couldn't help but beam at that last part. This was the first Thanksgiving Peeta and I would be hosting together for our family and friends. We had thought it best if we brought everyone up here to our little sanctuary for the holiday, if for no other reason than it just felt like family.

Peeta had been preparing for days, even insisting we head upstate a little earlier than originally planned. Among his many talents to be grateful for was his ability to work a kitchen. I credited it to his skilled artists' fingers, but it probably had more to do with the fact that his family owned a bakery when he was a kid. Regardless, I enjoyed it.

"Right- the guests. That's what I really came out to tell you. Gale called and asked if it would be all right to bring Clove along. He didn't want to get your feathers all riled up after last year's incident."

It wasn't my fault that I didn't particularly like Gale's fiancé, Clove, we just didn't see eye-to-ye. Aside from the fact that she and Gale were NOTHING alike, she was more of a Barbie Doll than a human and could barely recite her ABC's without stumbling had very little to do with that. No, what really bothered me was when she openly flirted with my husband at Capitol Security's New Years' Eve Party last year.

The party had really acted as both a celebration of a New Year and Gale's taking over the company. Thom Hawthorne had finally handed the reigns of the company over to his son, so we were all there to congratulate Gale. But Clove, who he'd been dating for a few months by that point, was tipsy and hanging all over Peeta (who was either too nice or too oblivious to notice). I'd made sure to put a stop to that immediately.

One thing you didn't mess with was my man.

But I was willing to let that entire thing slide, because for whatever reason, she made Gale happy. And after everything we'd been through together, which was all I really cared about. "Of course she can come. Just keep her away from the Merlot and my husband and we should be just fine." Peeta laughed and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Not to mention if she doesn't come, I don't get to see my godchildren. Which is the most important thing."

He smiled. "Hazelle and Posy are such dolls. Sometimes I can't believe they're Clove's kids." Gale and Clove had gotten pregnant a few months into their relationship (not long after the New Years' incident, incidentally). It wasn't something either had planned, but we'd all been over the moon about it. I had never wanted children of my own, but god kids would work just fine. And they'd been born nine months later, gorgeous little bundles of Gale's unruly dark brown hair and Cloves shimmering green eyes. They were absolute perfection.

"Yeah, superficiality isn't genetic."

"Play nice, Katniss." Peeta chided with gentle humor. I turned on my heel to head back to the bedroom and get showered. As much as I would have loved to rag on Gale's woman some more, I had to get a move on.

There was a dinner to host.

I came downstairs to a freshly dressed Peeta Mellark, enthusiastically rubbing behind our dog's ears. While I'd been getting ready, he'd changed into a charcoal grey thermal, (Everdeen Athletics) green cargo vest, with a pair of dark wash jeans. It was the perfect compliment to our rugged environment. In an effort to dress the part of hostess, I had pulled out a red plaid flannel button up, grey cardigan (rolled up to the elbows); dark wash boot cut jeans and my old black hunting boots. I hadn't been able to bust them out few years ago for fear of not being fashionable enough. Today though, looking between my husband and I, I couldn't help but feel pretty darn cute.

"Hey babe, look what I taught 'mitch to do!" Peet snapped his fingers at our puppy, signaling for him to do some trick or another. I wasn't surprised when he rolled over instead. Coming as a wedding present from our favorite neighborhood bartender, Haymitch the dog was a lot the Haymitch the human. They were both insubordinate yet endearing. "Okay, maybe not this time. He'll learn."

"You look beautiful," my thoughtful husband gripped my waist gently and kissed me on the forehead. Out of instinct, I wanted to tell him that I looked extremely average and I that I was too lazy to even straighten my hair so I just braided it… but I was getting better. He was slowly working me into a place where I felt comfortable just being me- whatever that meant. Constantly reminding me that the beauty he saw wasn't manufactured, it was inherent. And as hard as I tried to suppress it, the Katniss that he'd met back in college was still in there. "What time do you think everyone'll be here?"

I wrapped my arms around his neck. It didn't take much for me to predict who would be first to arrive. Madge was never late for anything, not in all the time that I'd known her. We threw our arms around each other, hugging like we hadn't seen each other in years. I had actually just had lunch with her a week ago, but after years of her being my assistant, we weren't used to spending that much time apart. "Madge! I'm so glad you made it up here okay. No troubles?" I pulled back to look at her. She still had that pure glow about her, all innocence and assurance.

"Nope, it was smooth sailing all the way in from the city, actually. Although it probably would have been even quicker if Marvel didn't insist on using that malfunctioning GPS." I hadn't even noticed Madge's husband, Marvel carrying their luggage up the walk. Peeta emerged from the kitchen, quickly greeting Madge and stepping outside to help him.

"To be fair, that GPS cost me two-weeks' salary and the IT department at Capitol doesn't break the bank. I would really like to get my money's worth." Both men came inside, now dusted with snowflakes. It had been a little chilly earlier, but I hadn't predicted snow.

The weather didn't seem to impede our other guests' arrivals, however. Peeta and I greeted everyone as they came through our door, mostly two-by-two. After Madge and Marvel came Thresh and his little sister, Rue, Prim and Rory, Peeta's brother Rye and his wife, Cinna and Effie, Gale and Clove with my precious twin blessings and finally a loud and disorderly Johanna Mason.

"I HAVE ARRIVED." She declared, bursting through the front door without bothering to ring the doorbell. She dropped her bags to the floor with an unceremonious racket and shouted to everyone who'd already gathered. "Are you gonna just stand there, Brainless, or are you gonna welcome your bestest pal back from training camp?" I rushed over and hugged her as tightly as I could. Jo had been gone for months.

After deciding to rejoin the circuit before the 2016 Olympics, Jo had thrown herself back into training, not making it home to New York as often as I'd have liked. Aside from the wedding, I had only seen her in person four times in the past two years. It was what I wanted for her, though. Whatever made her the happiest was exactly what I'd wish. "And you know Finnick already, so I won't bother with introductions. Where's the wine!" Jo brushed past me, revealing the tall redheaded man that I knew so well but hadn't been expecting.

"Hey Katniss." He remarked bashfully. "Sorry about the surprise, but you know Jo, never one for formalities." I grinned from ear to ear. Well I'll be if my best friend didn't bring a good guy to dinner for once. I simply waved him inside and directed him to the closet where everyone was keeping his or her coats.

I peeked into the living room as I walked away. It was a beautiful sight, all of my dearest friends and family being so chummy. Madge was playing with the twins on the rug; Gale and Finn were clapping each other on the back (as if congratulating one another on being _men), _Marvel and Thresh were chatting animatedly about the last play on screen, Prim and Rue were in a heated debate about the EPA, Cinna and Effie commenting on my home decors and Jo had already gotten her hands on some wine (against her training regimen) and was badgering poor Rory with questions about his sex life (which involved my little sister, presumably, so I tuned that out immediately).

"Dinner is ready to be served, sweetheart." Peeta draped his arm across my shoulder and smiled down at me. This was great. Nearly everything I could have asked for. It had taken a while, feeling like I had a real family. But now that I had one, I couldn't have been happier. "This is great, isn't it? Having all of them here at the same time." Before I could respond, though, the doorbell rang one final time, signaling our last visitor.

"I'll get this one on my own, honey." I placed a quick peck on his lips before slipping out from under him. "You round everyone up and let them know its time to eat."

I took some time getting to the door. Even after all we'd accomplished, I still felt a little uncertain about seeing her. We'd spoken on the phone a few times since that first conversation. She'd even come into the city with Prim for Christmas last year. But this was the first time she'd be mixed in with everyone else.

"Hello, Mara." I greeted my mother with perhaps the warmest reception I could muster. I could hear everyone in the background, shuffling around to get to the table. We had made so many place settings I didn't think I'd ever be able to fold another napkin if my life depended on it. "And Snow, glad you two could make it." Snow smiled his dazzling movie star grin and moved in for a hug. He liked to touch, I was afraid.

"Well Katniss, it's absolutely our pleasure. You have such a lovely home here! I've been telling your mother that we need to have my agent scout out a spot like this, but she's having nothing of it. Talk some sense into her, please." It was against my better judgment, but I did like him. He was a home wrecker, but he was so oblivious to everything- like a little puppy- I couldn't help but have some positive feelings towards him.

I took their coats and it didn't take long for a few of our friends to rush up to Snow and ask for his autograph. There were just some things you couldn't help.

"Really, Katniss, thank you for inviting us. We were so honored to come." My mother added quietly, as we made our way to the kitchen. Within moments, the stalker-azzi had calmed down for long enough that we could all grab our seats.

Peet and I stood up to give our welcoming speech.

I started. "First of all, we'd just like to thank all of you for coming all the way up here today, we know this is a bit of a trek."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Jo hollered from the opposite end of the table, causing a round of laughter to ensue.

"Fair enough." I smiled happily. "But seriously, this means everything to us, having the people we love and care about here to spend the holiday in our home."

"And we know that this is just the beginning." Peeta added, lacing his fingers through mine. "We're thinking a New Years' Eve rager, since Gale isn't throwing his this year?" A chorus of whoops started around the table (mostly from the guys), Gale and Finn high-fiving over the cornucopia, leaving Jo and Clove to roll their eyes. "Haha, and whatever the future holds, we're just glad that you all are in it with us."

"So I guess this is where we start saying what we're thankful for." We went around the table, each listing things that we were grateful for- some more serious than others.

Madge: "I'm grateful for my promotion, for being named Senior Legal Counsel of Everdeen Athletics."

Marvel: "I'm grateful that Capitol and EA employ over half of the people at this table!"

Prim: "I'm grateful that my mom and big sister are both with me on a Thanksgiving. Oh yeah, and finishing my grad program at Boston!"

Rory: "I'm grateful for finishing grad school at Johns Hopkins."

Thresh: "I'm grateful for my baby sister graduating with honors."

Rue: "I'm grateful for my internship in the Public Affairs Department at EA this spring."

Gale: "I'm grateful for my beautiful children and fiancé."

Clove: "I'm grateful that there's a Neiman's less than five miles from the main road!" (GAG)

Jo: "I'm grateful that I'm the last person to go so that we can eat."

Everyone laughed heartily, silently agreeing with Johanna's sentiments. It had taken some time to get back to the head of the table, but we weren't quite finished yet. Peeta cleared his throat to get everyone's attention back. "Actually everyone, me and Katniss are going to say what we're grateful for together if you don't mind." There were some 'awwwws' and kissy noises from the peanut gallery but Peet was unwavering. Taking a deep breath just as we'd practiced, we spoke what we were most grateful for in unison.

"We're pregnant."

**How're you guys feeling? I had a good time, if I do say so myself. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	12. The End

**Well everyone, this is it, the end of Seam in the City. I have had a great time writing this fic and hope you've enjoyed reading it. Pass it along to your friends, your family- whoever- because I'd hate to see my favorite characters die. Thank you for reading. Enjoy!**

The sun streaming through the open window was the first sensation I recognized upon waking up. I attempted to blink away the sleep, only to be met by my body's unconscious refusal to leave the most comfortable spot I could remember. Reaching over to the bedside table, I checked the clock on my phone: 5:30 AM. Usually I would be up and into the gym by that time, but not today. To be honest, I didn't even remember setting an alarm the night before (so it was lucky I was awake at all). I supposed that could all be credited to my internal clock.

"Morning, sunshine." The arm that Peeta had draped around my waist in our sleep gently tugged me closer to him, my back still curled into his front. "You're up mighty early."

Although he couldn't see my face, I was smiling from ear to ear. This, waking up wrapped in his cozy blankets and the safety of his arms was an absolute dream. So much so, in fact, that for the first time in weeks I hadn't even had a nightmare. Hadn't dreamt of my father coming back one day, ashamed of what I'd become- what I'd done to his company. Hadn't faced the recurring nightmare of my mother sneering as she walked out the door, leaving Prim and I abandoned for good. All of the things that had permeated my sleep every night for days- gone.

"Yeah well," I rolled over to face him "I guess that's just my nature."

I shut my eyes as he kissed my nose gently. "Waking up next to you is a beautiful thing, Ms. Everdeen. " He was so sappy. This whole scenario was sappy, and honestly, very unlike me. But somehow, it made sense, being here with him, listening to his romantic platitudes. "I would very much like to do this every morning if you'd allow it."

"Mellark, you're getting a bit ahead of yourself, eh? I mean, you can't rush perfection, after all." The corners of his eyes crinkled as he laughed lightly. We lay on our sides facing one another, and Peeta moved to prop his head up on his elbow.

"And this is indeed quite perfect." I made no move to stop him as he lifted up the plaid comforter to take a look at my bare form. Being bold in my sensuality had never been something I was good at, but the way Peeta looked at me last night and again in that moment, made me feel completely at home. It was a look of reverence- not of pure objectivity- the way it had been with every other man I'd ever been with. "Katniss, I-" I cut him off with a kiss before he could say anything else. Whatever it was, I couldn't stand to hear it right then.

His lips molded to mine immediately, taking no time to get acclimated again. The hunger that had appeared the night before was there, in an instant setting any intention I'd had of getting out of bed ablaze. The sensation that only Peeta could incite in me had completely erupted, encouraging the both of us to take it a step further.

When I had fallen into Peeta's arms last night, I hadn't intended on spending the night. And I certainly hadn't intended on… well, this.

He broke away, meeting my eyes. "Katniss, seriously, I have to tell you something." He looked just as disoriented as I felt. I wanted to avoid all of the talking that he was so insistent on.

"Stop talking," I attempted to kiss him again, but he was determined.

"No, Kat, listen," He sat up quickly. I used the opportunity to wrap the blanket around myself and fell back onto the downy pillows behind us, staring at the ceiling. "When I saw you on stage at Julliard all those years ago I knew that one day I wanted to be here with you. You were absolutely on fire every single time you stepped out there- you inspired people. You inspired me." He quickly ran a hand through his hair and cupped my cheek.

"I loved you then, Katniss Everdeen, and I love you now."

It's hard to gauge how you'll react the first time someone tells you that they love you and you actually believe it. Outside of your family, I mean. The thought of that realization hung in my mind for the rest of the morning; as I collected my things and rushed back to my loft, as I showered and selected my black tailored Fendi pantsuit, as I rode my cab to the headquarters, as Madge handed me my morning coffee, and even as I prepped for the biggest meeting of my young career. One sentence continued to ring in my ears: I love you then, Katniss Everdeen, and I love you now.

I knew that he did because felt it too. I just wasn't ready to admit it to him or even to myself. If history was any indication of what the future held, the minute things began seeming positive, all Hell was bound to break loose. And I couldn't stand to see that happen with Peeta, especially not this early in.

"Katniss?" I looked up from the coffee that I'd been aimlessly stirring to see Madge standing in my doorframe. "We need to go over the plan for the board meeting. We have about an hour until I need to begin setting the placements, and…" Her efficient steps had her across the room with her clipboard clutched to her chest with the Jaws of Life. "Ms. Everdeen, is something wrong with you?"

I used to be a much better actress. "Nothing, Madge. Nothing is wrong with me." I pushed the coffee away and powered up my MacBook Pro. "Let's just go through the procedure again."

She shut the door to keep all of the prying eyes and ears from involving themselves with our conversation. The water cooler talk had increased in the last few weeks, the rumor mill churning out even more outrageous stories. Everyone was dying to hear what their new CEO was doing next. "Katniss, can I be honest with you?" She didn't wait for me to say yes, she continued, "This is the most important meeting you have ever faced. If we're going to do this, and I'm saying _we _because this has turned into a group project, we have to go into this guns blazing. I don't know what has happened this morning, but you don't get to be distracted today. If there was ever a time to conceal your personal life- the time is now."

This was all very unlike her. She had a point, though. This was it.

I nodded solemnly and shook the cobwebs off of my mind. We ran through the method that we intended on using to approach the subject during the meeting, Madge taking the lead in areas of litigation. We were breezing through our data when Delly buzzed my intercom. "Katniss, you have Gale here. He says its urgent."

I looked and Madge incredulously and she shrugged her shoulders. "Um yeah, go ahead and send him in." It didn't take long before Gale's huge form was striding through my office door. Despite has new, well-kempt appearance; he seemed slightly out of sorts. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

He nodded at Madge in greeting, but didn't waste time with pleasantries. "Everdeen, we have a serious situation."

"You mean other than the fact that you look like a bad Calvin Klein advertisement in your daddy's old suit?" I pushed the screen nearly shut to obscure the contents from his view. From the look in his eye it didn't seem like he was all that interested in checking up on my impending doom.

Madge gently tiptoed towards the door, just leaving Gale and me alone. "First of all, the suit is Jones New York and it is from this season, so maybe give me a break. And on that note, I'm only wearing it because dad insists the executives go formal in the office. But lets be honest, I'm obviously not here to discuss my fashion choices." He lowered himself into one of the oversized leather chairs that Madge had just vacated.

"What are you here for then, Hawthorne? I have a pretty big thing today, you know."

"Okay, well I figure it would be best not to point out that your shirt and your shoes are two different shades then, right?" I looked down at my peep-toed black heels and squinted incredulously. He was just trying to get under my skin. If there was one thing I could always count on, it was the levity of our friendship. And while it had taken a while to get back, it seemed like things were almost normal. "Yeah, I'm just kidding. But Catnip, seriously, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't in the middle of a crisis. I met a woman."

I rolled my eyes. "Gale, most men wouldn't consider that a crisis."

"But she's rich. _That's _the problem. Her father came in for a meeting to get someone on her detail the other day." I checked my watch to make sure I wasn't pushing it, being on time for my meeting.

"Gale, maybe you forgot that you were rich too."

He ignored my jab. "They're a family of Wall Street hot-shots. Dad worked on the auto industry bailouts; grandpa spent his lifetime lobbying for trickle-down economics and welfare elimination. Mom is the heir to a blue-blood cotton fortune, and I'm not sure, but I feel pretty confident that they'd still own slaves if they could." He rubbed the space between his eyes. "I met with her to assign her personnel and she just seems different. Effervescent even."

I leaned across the table and covered one of Gale's hands with my own. Despite everything we'd been dealing with between the two of us lately, I really did want him to be happy. I wanted him to finally be in a relationship with someone who could give him what he'd be willing to give them. "Then go for it. I don't know what you're waiting for."

"I don't know, maybe I was waiting for your blessing." He pushed himself up out of his chair and started towards the door. "So you really think this is a good idea?"

"For goodness sakes, Hawthorne, of course. You deserve it. What's her name anyway?"

"Clove."

Madge stood behind Gale in the doorway and pointed at her wristwatch. The time was now. I gathered my things and buttoned my blazer. When I reached Gale, I leaned up on my tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. "I want you to have what I have, Gale."

And that was the truth. I'd run away from it this morning in bed with Peeta and skirted around the topic all morning, but it was most certainly the truth. And I couldn't fault the man for having more courage than I when it came to being honest. That had been the bane of my existence for nearly two years. I was used to covering things up and minimalizing my personal opinion. That was going to be how I reclaimed this company- I was going to start speaking the truth.

Madge walked in front of me, pushing open the huge double doors that led to our conference room. Everyone was already seated when we arrived and stood when I walked through the door. That was still completely foreign to me, being welcomed in the same fashion as the president. I gave them the signal to sit down and took my place standing at the head of the table. "Good afternoon, everyone."

The board whispered their good mornings and sipped on assorted cups of coffee. Had I not already know that I was going to be blindsided with a demotion, I wouldn't have sensed anything different than any other board meeting. They weren't much of a lively group. The majority of the board members had come from long careers in the private sector, advising company executives and accepting billion dollar bonuses. Grey hair and classic black suits adorned every man, and the only female member something of the like. To be honest, this was the only room in Everdeen Athletics that didn't feel equal opportunity. My father had been tasked with assembling a corporate dream team.

"As always, we'll begin this meeting with the reading of the minutes." Madge stood up and very quickly read through the discussion from our last meeting. I remained standing the entire time. If there was one day to assert my dominance, today was going to be the day.

As she concluded, chairs around the room began to shift. "Ms. Everdeen, if I may?" The voice rang out from the other end of the conference table. I should have expected as much. Alma Coin stood up and strode in my direction. Everyone knew what this was going to be about. "I have a brief presentation to make."

"Of course, Alma. The floor is all yours." I took one step to the side. I couldn't help the anxiety that was building as she powered up her laptop and connected it to the projector. Madge shot me a look of pure disdain and disbelief, before mouthing the words "You got this".

Alma's hatred for me rolled off of her in droves. I could tell that as the only other woman on the executive board, she thought me a detriment to women in the workforce everywhere. She had spent her life climbing the corporate ladder; Editor of the Harvard Business Review, CFO of Wells Fargo, Board Member of JP Morgan and Chase- the list goes on. And when this young girl from performing arts school comes in and took over the Fortune 500 Company she had been working with for years, she wanted me out.

I was surprised it took me so long to notice. "Ms. Everdeen, fellow members of the board, I want to point out a number of issues that have risen to my attention in the past 12 months. After putting a private poll in the field, we've collected that our company has suffered a dramatic hit in numbers regarding public opinion. Not to mention, our investors have privately voiced concerns regarding our leadership." As she rattled on about my inability to lead, she flashed a PowerPoint of images that I'd remembered vaguely circulating in gossip rags. A photo of me twisting my ankle on the red carpet at last year's Met Gala, a shot of Jason Cato shoving his tongue down my throat at the MLB Championship last season, and the piece-de-resistance, Gale a Cato getting into their little slap fight at the charity auction. Alma was hell bent on embarrassing me before stealing my company out from under my nose. "So today, I would like to invoke Article II Section A of this company's bylaws."

Whatever whispers that had been floating around immediately ceased. In shorthand she had basically called me an idiot, a philanderer and called on a vote to remove me from office. "Before you call for your vote, Alma, I do believe that Article II Section B allows for floor discussion before that is to commence." Yeah, I knew my rules too. I could tell she wasn't expecting that as I reclaimed my position in front of everyone. Madge joined my cause and immediately handed out the portfolios that we had assembled beforehand.

All of the stock information was highlighted. All of the money that I had personally earned the company through my public persona was very clearly marked. And the moments that Alma had pointed out were some of my shining financial achievements. And last but not least, for all of those investors that she claimed were concerned about my leadership skills, we had collected twice as many that were interested in doubling their investments. No, I hadn't been much of a CEO…

But I was one hell of a saleswoman.

It didn't take long to conclude the meeting after that. If there was one thing I learned in my time as CEO, it was that money spoke louder than most other things. Which was why after the board voted in my favor, I decided to present another vote- one to remove Coin from the board.

The vote was once again unanimously in my favor.

"Luckily they all signed confidentiality agreements, otherwise I know this story would be all over the Internet by now." I smiled from ear-to-ear, "God, Primmy, I can't believe you're really here." Prim had called me maybe an hour after this morning's meeting to tell me that her flight would be in by 6. She had a grad school interview at Boston University the next morning, but I could at least flatter myself into thinking she was here for me tonight.

"There was no way I could come to the East Coast without visiting my big sister." Prim took the last sip of her white wine and waved to Rory for another. It was still surreal for me to see my baby sister drink, but I was getting past it. "Anyway, Rory wanted to come back and see Gale too, so it all worked out." As if on cue, Gale and Rory walked up, fresh drinks in hand.

"Speaking of the devil," Prim smiled up at Gale's looming form. While he and I had always been best friends (up until recently), he was the closest thing Prim ever had to an older brother. "I heard you've been a bit of a handful there, Hawthorne."

He reached over and mussed the top of her blonde head. "Give me a break, kiddo. You know your big sister is a heartbreaker." We all allowed a laugh to escape. Gale and I had gotten to a place where we could smile about the whole thing, which I guess was due in part to the dramatic changes in our love lives that we had incurred in the past few days.

"Whatever, Hawthorne, you were simply seduced by my painful awkwardness and feigned emotional stability." I nudged him with my shoulder. "And it's not like you don't have some flighty little blue blood just waiting for your call. Where is she anyway? I thought she was coming to our little get together."

Rory snorted from his seat next to Prim in the booth. "She's probably still doing her makeup." Gale reached across the table and punched his little brother in the arm. I could tell Rory wasn't joking when he grabbed his arm and winced in pain. He was a little guy, topped out at 5'7", and weighed 130 soaking wet- sometimes it was hard to see the family resemblance. "Seriously, bro! I thought we talked about that." I lived for nights like these when all of my favorite people were in one place. Well, nearly all of them.

"Hey, Kat," Peeta greeted me with a kiss on the forehead. "Hey everyone else. Let me guess, you must be Katniss' beautiful little sister, Prim. And you're not over six feet, so you must be Rory Hawthorne." I slid out of the booth and wrapped an arm around his waist. I could see the surprise register on Prim's face momentarily. She quickly replaced it with a look of satisfaction.

"Great guesses there, pal. And you must be Peeta Mellark, the guy that's got my big sister tied up in knots." I glanced up at him and flashed a shy smile. "I think that face says it all." His arm wrapped around my shoulder

Gale stood up next to the two of us, his stature putting him about 3 inches taller than Peeta. "And you're the infamous Gale. Nice to meet you man." They shook hands quickly and my best friend gave him the once over. I could tell, even despite our rediscovered friendship, he was sizing up my new boyfriend.

Wait… what? Even mentally, I was referring to Peeta Mellark as something more than "that guy I went to college with but never noticed until recently and just had sex with for the first time last night". He was bringing out a change in me, even if I wasn't at a place where I could tell him that. It was all happening. And slowly but surely, I would be able to romantically come into my own. I was glad that I was finally getting there. And I was even gladder that I was doing it with Peeta.

"So this is the boyfriend, huh Catnip?"

A smile slowly spread across my face. "Yeah, I guess he is."

"Well, do you want me to grab you a whiskey sour at the bar, new boyfriend?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks man."

Gale clapped him on the back before heading to grab the next round. "He likes my signature drink? This guy's a keeper, Kat!"

I was in full-blown cheese mode by then.

"I think so too."

**The End.**

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